Fraternizing with the Enemy
by Kero Star
Summary: When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But when the school is attacked and the students are put in danger he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. LashxOC
1. Chapter 1

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain? Rated M for later chapters. LashXOC_**

**_Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks_**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of it's characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own pink Floyd although I wish I did.**_

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One 

_We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year,  
Running over the same old ground.  
What have we found? The same old fears.  
Wish you were here._

_- Pink Floyd_

Elliana Vermillion sat in power assessment feeling tense. It wasn't just the yearly ritual of Coach Boomer shouting at them trying on their nerves or the start of school jitters, the whole class was tense because _they _were coming back. Lash and Speed had somehow managed to get out of prison on good behavior and with some discrepancy with tutors and the school they had ended up having to be held back a year, landing them in Elliana's senior Hero class. It had been three years since the incident at homecoming but no one was any less scared, some were excited, but the tension was thick, even Boomer was more on edge than usual.

"Move it Stronghold we don't have all morning!" Boomer shouted causing everyone to stumble back a few steps. Elliana watched as Will flew a few laps around the gym demonstrating that over the summer he had gone from a mach 3 to a mach 5. "Alright, alright, quit showing off." Boomer waved him off and Will landed next to her adjusting his shirt.

"I can't believe they are coming back," he grumbled, "I bet Ethan melted when he heard the announcement this morning." Elliana tried to focus more on his words than his face, it was hard having a crush on the unattainable Will Stronghold; "Ell are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, sorry,"

"Remind me why we are friends again when you don't even pay attention to me?" he joked. Elliana paid more attention then he could ever imagine. How they became friends was a less than exciting story; after his first lab partner turned out to be a Super Villain he was paired with Ell after her lab partner was frozen for half the semester (people need to stop messing with Jenny) and that was it. Will was so likable that he made friends wherever he went. Elliana was so shy that she was having a hard time making friends, especially with her unfortunate powers, everyone was avoiding her. She was thankful to have friends like Will and Layla, thankful for Zach who could always make her laugh and Magenta and Ethan who were always there when she needed them.

"Because without me you would be flunking Medula's class," she said nudging him with her shoulder playfully.

"Touché." The lunch bell rang and students rushed out of the gym with excited chatter, Will got to his feet reluctantly. "This is going to be a circus,"

"Hey at least you didn't get turned into a baby," They filed through the hallways following the throngs of excited students out onto the quad. Will spotted Layla and Magenta and grabbed Ell's arm, veering them to the left to join their friends.

"This is so stupid," Magenta muttered as they arrived.

"It's just like Speed and Lash to cause this much of a spectacle," Layla agreed with an uncharacteristic frown. Will slung his arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her forehead; Ell looked away from them pretending to be watching the sky intently.

"'Sup boy," Zack exclaimed clapping Will on the back as he and Ethan joined them. Ethan was silent and steeling himself. Elliana knew he was remembering his showdown with Lash in the school bathroom, and wondering if the bully would take revenge. Ethan had grown up a lot since then and wasn't as easily pushed around anymore, but that didn't make him any less worried. Other victims of Speed and Lash were clumping together in small groups, whispering urgently amongst each other, most of them Sidekicks and a few Heroes.

Someone shouted and everyone started pointing towards something in the distance, Ell squinted trying to make it out.

"It's a school bus," Jeff Spears shouted, who was gifted with magnified sight and x-ray vision. Will was hovering a few feet off the ground trying to get a better look, Ethan was starting to drip a little in nervous anticipation, Magenta looked bored and Layla worried her lower lip. It was indeed a school bus; a collective gasp went up from the students as it came into better view.

"That's dumb," Zach said sounding like Magenta, "You'd think a maximum security prison would have like supersonic jets or something wicked like that, not a school bus." Coach Boomer was shouting at students to keep back, causing trees to double over and the windows to rattle dangerously. The bus landed with a blast of hot air courtesy of the engines powering down and a terrible whine of the metal undercarriage scraping against the gravel. Elliana's heart started to pound inexplicably as the door slid open and what unfolded next felt like a bad prison movie.

Speed and Lash descended down the steps single file, wrists and ankles shackled together by long chains and manacles that glowed an eerie white. Elliana immediately thought of the detention rooms' ethereal glow and knew that the bindings must neutralize their powers. Speed descended first, grinning like the Cheshire cat, and the crowd hushed. He'd lost a little weight but other than that he looked the same; he was even wearing the usual attire. He flexed his hands as if itching to get out of his restraints. He was followed by his counterpart Lash; Ell could hear Ethan back up a few steps. Lash did not smile, he didn't look into the face of anyone as he passed a group of students to stand next to his friend, he didn't even seem to know where he was or care. The striped shirt made his arms look too long for his body already, as if he were using his powers. Immerging from the bus after them was Warren Peace in his trademark leather jacket, Will's best friend. Will waved to him enthusiastically, without realizing that he looked like a big dork, and embarrassed Warren smiled and half waved back. It was odd that one of their group had already graduated, was already out in the real world serving mankind (and woman kind). Warren had chosen to work as a guard at the maximum security facility for the super criminally insane. Will theorized that it was to live down his father's reputation, but Ell was certain it was so he could be closer to his father, since he worked at the very institution that housed Baron Battle. As a guard he could be near his father without the worry of confrontation.

Warren moved to Speed's cuffs first, holding a strange device that looked like something Medula would have in the mad science lab. He waved it over both sets and the chains clattered to the asphalt. Speed massaged his wrists with a triumphant smirk, seeming to be pleased with the drama his arrival was causing. He said something in undertones to Warren that didn't quite carry back to where Ell was standing but judging by the anger that flashed through his expression it was an insult. His arms started to smoke, but Warren had learned to control himself immeasurably better than before and he turned away sharply and attended to Lash. Lash seemed indifferent to his freedom and just stared moodily at his shoes. With both Villains free, Principal Powers beckoned to both boys who followed her obediently, no doubt to her office. As they passed Elliana and her friends Speed cracked his knuckles laughing and Lash just looked at them coldly. He spoke one word as he walked by, it sounded like a death sentence,

"Stronghold…"

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"Fantastic," Will said as they picked a lunch table, "another year another arch enemy." Warren joined them for lunch since the wonder twins had been his only assignment that day.

"Again, you were not a baby." Ell reminded him.

"Pfft, don't worry about those fools;" Zach said confidently, "you can take them."

"Yeah!" Ethan chimed in cheering up considerably and opening his pudding, "We totally mopped the floor with them last time. Don't worry, we have this." Will smiled grimly. Warren sat on Elliana's left and Magenta sat to her right, trying to get in some last minute homework before their next period.

"I guess you guys don't have to do this lame partner thing."

"No, we sidekicks lucked out on that one." She said with a laugh, "Don't worry though, I'm sure you'll get partnered with Will. Boomer might even let you pick your partners."

"Ugh," Warren said with gentle amusement, "not the 'working as a team for a better tomorrow' project thing. That blew"

"You're not helping." Will said taking a bite of apple.

"What? I'm not going to lie and say it was awesome. That project made me wish I was a sidekick everyday. You know I don't play nice with others."

"No one would want to be partnered with me anyway, not with my power." Elliana said. The table fell silent, partially because everyone knew it was true and partially because no one knew what to say to make her feel better. She looked at the black glove covering her left hand, and could feel every one else looking too. It was thick velvet to ensure that no skin could peek through and went all the way to the elbow as a safety precaution. Most days Ell tried to wear long sleeves so the glove was less noticeable but the first day of school still held some summer heat and it was just too hot. Today she wore a black camisole that complimented her slim figure and set off her waist length ruby red curls and her favorite pair of jeans. They were just long enough that they covered most of her black converse high-tops and ensured that she stepped on the cuffs when she walked. The glove stuck out against the exposed pale skin like the word _freak_ stamped to her forehead.

Will put his hand over her gloved one as if he knew what she was thinking. Elliana looked up into his eyes and her heart almost melted. She was quickly brought back to reality when Layla followed suit and moved to cover Will's hand with her own (Ell smiled at the flowers painted in green that decorated Layla's nails) and then Warren and soon the whole table. It looked like they were in a pre-game huddle.

"God Ell, don't be so emo," Magenta said. Elliana started laughing and soon they were all laughing. They didn't stop laughing and joking around until the lunch bell rang again; Ell was determined not to be a downer. After saying goodbye to Warren the Heroes returned to the gym resignedly. Boomer was waiting for them on his platform, clipboard under one arm and a stack of weird looking Band-Aids resting on a stool next to him. Speed and Lash were the last to file into the gym. Speed still looked like this was Christmas morning and no doubt would be spending his free period dunking someone's head in the toilet. Lash had cheered up a little, but he was no where near to sharing the glee of his counterpart. He frowned as he leaned against the back wall with his hands shoved in his pockets and his longish chestnut hair falling into his eyes. His head turned and he caught her looking at him. Elliana froze as their eyes locked and her heart leapt to her throat. She quickly looked away feeling heat burn her cheeks and the back of her neck. She didn't turn around again although she could feel him staring at her.

"Are you alright?" Will asked with concern.

"He's staring at me," she breathed, almost certain that the _he _in question could hear every word she was saying. Ell was fairly certain Lash didn't have superhuman hearing; that was Phil Seymour one of the new freshmen.

"Who?"

"Lash! Don't talk so loud." She hissed, feeling on the verge of paranoia. "Is he still looking?" Will glanced over his shoulder casually only to make accidental eye contact with the bully. Lash smirked and drew his thumb across his neck and pointed right at him.

"Yep," Will said, his voice rising several octaves higher than its usual pitch.

"Okay, _Listen Up!"_ Coach Boomer yelled to get their attention. Everyone quieted immediately and he glowered at them all, satisfied with himself. "Let's make this as painless as possible. Every senior class must under go 'group training', now usually that means pairing you with a sidekick however the past few years we have been partnering up Heroes with Heroes with more satisfying results. Fewer sidekicks in the hospital, fewer sidekick emotional breakdowns. This project is to teach you how to work with a partner as _equals _so you don't abuse your sidekick after graduation and also prepares you for working in Hero teams, for example the Commander and Jetstream." Boomer paused to make sure they were all still listening with rapt attention.

"When I call your names, say hello to your permanent partner for the year. The partners have been chosen at random. Yes they are final and No you cannot trade. There will be no _whinerbabies_ or I will deal with you myself, is that _CLEAR?"_

"Yes Coach Boomer!" they replied as a class.

"Good, when I call your names come up here and I will bond you for the year, and you will receive your assignments in homeroom tomorrow. Participation from both parties is crucial as how you do on this project will determine if you graduate or not. Stronghold get up here!"

What did he mean bond us for the year? Elliana wondered. She couldn't help but feel disappointed when Will was paired with Allison Fuller, a pretty blonde girl who could control animals. She would have loved to use this as an excuse to be with him all the time, not that she would have ever actually done anything, Ell wouldn't do that to Layla, but a girl could dream. Will gave her a lopsided sympathetic smile as Boomer had them hold hands as he applied the Band-Aids, which were hot pink, to the insides of their wrists. The Band-Aids instantly dissolved into their skin and Elliana realized that they were microchips.

"Now," Boomer was saying, "You will only be able to move a few feet from your partner as long as you are on school property, ensuring that you will do _everything _together," he said with relish. Boomer was having way too much fun with this which could only mean that this would be the worst year ever.

"Um, sir?" Will said in hushed tones, "what if I need to pee?"

"Lucky for you Stronghold, the men's and ladies washrooms are side by side. _NEXT."_ Elliana watched with despair as pair after pair were bonded, she didn't suspect, she knew, some how she'd known from the minute that he'd walked by her this morning that she would be stuck with him for the entire year. As the number of students not paired up dwindled, Ell dared to chance a look at him. He was staring straight ahead, with his shaggy chestnut hair falling into his eyes, arms folded over his chest.

"_LASH!"_ Boomer shouted, Ell didn't even wait for him to call her name; they were the last two people in the gym. She followed her lanky partner onto the platform dismally, falling into a deep state of "emo misery" as Magenta would call it. "And Vermillion." Boomer tossed his clipboard aside and looked at them with a big grin. "Hoo boy, are you guys going to have fun with this. Good luck, you're going to need it." He said to Lash and motioned for them to hold hands.

"What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out in no time I'm sure. Loose the glove Vermillion." Boomer said with annoyance as he went to apply the microchip to her gloved wrist.

"Er, sir? You know that I can't."

"What? Oh! Right okay," her rearranged them so that Lash was holding her gloved hand and applied the chip to her right wrist. Lash looked down at it confused and then looked at her oddly, accusatory, like she'd pissed in his cheerios or something. Boomer watched the last traces of pink absorb into their skin and said, "There now get lost." Lash dropped her hand and stalked off towards one end of the gym and Elliana walked determinedly in the other direction. She'd almost made it to the doors when, _WHAM,_ she hit an invisible barrier and was knocked clean on her ass. Groaning, she felt her forehead gingerly; it was going to be bruised. Coach Boomer was laughing as Lash met a similar fate on his end of the gym. He picked himself up with a string of creative obscenities and whirled to face her.

"This way," he demanded.

"But my locker is this way,"

"I'm going to the washroom."

"Do you need to go this second?"

"Who said I was taking a piss, lets go." And by sheer forced of will he walked slowly and determinedly towards his doors dragging Elliana with him.

"I would give it up Vermillion," Boomer said between chuckles, "No more than a few feet apart remember?" Glaring at him, Ell relented and hurried after Lash, whose long legs were difficult to keep up with.

"Do you really need to swirly a sidekick right now?" She hissed, almost running to match his stride." He looked sideways at her with a grin but didn't answer her question.

"What's with the glove?"

"None of your business."

"Are you new since the last time I was here? I don't remember you."

"You stuffed me in my locker on my first day of Sky High."

"I did that to a lot of freshmen." Elliana halted abruptly and watched with great satisfaction as Lash hit the end of the invisible tether between them and yelped in pain. He glared at her and stretched out an arm, grabbing her roughly by the upper arm and dragging her down the hallway with him. It was going to be a long year.


	2. Chapter 2

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain?. LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Franz Ferdinand although I wish I did.**_

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Two

_Some say you're trouble, boy  
just because you like to destroy  
all the things that bring the idiots joy  
well, what's wrong with a little destruction_?

-_Franz Ferdinand_

"Are you even going to pretend that you are doing any work?" Elliana asked, annoyed, as a tiny wad of paper hit her forehead for the thousandth time that period. She didn't want to look up at him, to give him the satisfaction of knowing that she was pissed off – not that he couldn't already tell – because that would mean that he'd won, and Lash liked winning.

"I am doing work, I helped you spell 'indefinitely'," he said smugly, propping his feet up on the desk, partially on top of the notebook she was trying to write in.

"I know how to spell 'indefinitely'," she hissed, prying her notebook out from under his converse.

"Clearly you don't since there is no 'a' in indefinitely."

"Eat me."

"What colour are your eyes?"

"Can we just focus on the project? The sooner we are finished the sooner I am rid of you." And so it had gone all the first week. It was Friday now and Elliana was emotionally drained and frustrated and begging for the weekend to come faster, but the clock seemed to be ticking unusually slow today.

_The Project, _as the seniors referred to it elusively, was massive. They were given an envelope with 10 objects in it and as a team they were supposed to use these objects to track and stop a Super Villain, complete with creating a criminal profile, discovering and foiling the master plan and making the arrest. Everyone was horrified as Principal Powers explained to them the specifics of their assignments. The students were quickly reassured that the individual they were hunting was not a real Super Villain, merely an actor. Elliana was not reassured; it seemed that with Lash as her partner she would be doing the whole thing herself.

The other pairs seemed to have helpful clues in their envelopes, at least something that pointed them in the right direction, Ell's envelope seemed to contain a bunch or random objects: a baby soother, a marble tile as big as her thumb nail with a Chinese character stamped on it in red ink, a tarot card (the lovers), a rusty silver pocket watch, a tiny pocket novel (Great Expectations), a hand mirror, an intricately decorated iron key the length of her pinky, a blank Polaroid, two Advil and a dog collar that said "princess". When they had first emptied the envelope, Elliana and Lash had just looked at the objects blankly. They meant nothing to either of them. Then Lash stopped caring and Ell spent the rest of the week pouring over the objects making notes in her spiral bound notebook, which was now covered in mud. None of the items made any connections to each other, but they didn't tell her anything on their own either. Will and Allison had gotten a lead right away when the first object they'd pulled from their envelope had been a scrap of paper with an address written on it. In fact everyone seemed to be off investigating something by now except Ell. Another piece of paper hit her forehead, she seethed quietly while thinking of ways she could kill him and make it look like an accident.

"Why do you wear those thick glasses?" She was tiring of his stupid questions.

"So I can see."

"So if I took them, would you be totally blind?"

"Touch them and I will break your hand." Elliana was rather attached to her thick black framed 'Buddy Holly' glasses. Lash chuckled, taking his feet of the desk and sitting upright.

"Are you one of those librarian types?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know, all uptight on the outside, naughty on the inside." Elliana did look at him then, and the annoying smirk on his face made her want to slug him. He knew he'd gotten to her. By forcing her to look up, to look at him, he'd won in the demented game of 'how do I drive my partner insane'. Ell would give up all her powers if she could get away from him right then, but even that hope was futile, wherever she would go, no matter how far she ran from this room, he would have to follow. She was longing for the moody Lash who chose to ignore her completely instead of torture her endlessly like this.

To her dismay, the bell rang; the only thing worse than sitting in a classroom with Lash was being dragged around the school by Lash. He'd quickly discovered that he was the stronger of the two of them and used it to his advantage every chance he got. He barely left her enough time to gather her things before he was out the door, dragging Ell on her invisible leash. At least he was heading towards their next class and not away from it; however, an impromptu detour took them to a familiar locker.

"No way," Ell said, putting the breaks on leaving the two of them to have a power struggle in the middle of the hallway. Over Lash's shoulder, Ell could see Speed stuffing someone into a locker: Ethan. "If you think I'm going to let you bully my friend right in front of me you're crazy."

"You can go in the locker next to him if you like," Lash grunted, jerking backwards. Elliana's feet skidded forward a few inches.

"Absolutely, and you can wait outside while I scream you def; have fun with that."

"Problems with the little lady?" Speed asked amused. Lash laughed and stretched out, picking her up clean off the ground. Speed obliged him by opening the locker next to Ethan's and Lash prepared to shove her into it. Elliana braced her legs on the edges of the threshold firmly.

"You're like a freaken monkey," He muttered as he tried to force her backwards into the narrow space. Speed grabbed her legs and together they managed to wrestle her inside and slam the door shut. Elliana sighed miserably.

"How's it going Ethan?"

"Not bad," came her friends' feeble reply, "today was actually pretty good. There's lime Jell-O in the cafeteria." Someone thumped a fist against the locker door.

"Shut up in there," Speed shouted at them.

"How long do you think it will take someone to find us?" another voice asked, sounding even farther away. "I'm missing Medulla's class." It must have been Speed's partner Frank.

"I said shut up!" Ignoring him, Ethan and Elliana began to sing '99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall' at the top of their lungs, joined soon in harmony with Frank.

"Dude this isn't working," Lash muttered, "they're driving me crazy."

"Agreed." Elliana heard a locker clatter open and a lot of muffled confusion before her own locker was pulled open letting in a burst of cool air for which she was grateful, air went stale rather quickly in a confined space. Lash looked cranky, which probably meant bad news for her. He didn't bother to help her out and it was difficult to untangle her limbs in the tightly enclosed space. She scowled at him. Speed was no where to be seen meaning he must have taken Frank; hopefully he hadn't taken Frank to the washroom to dunk his head in the toilet. Elliana moved to let Ethan out and Lash slammed his hand against the locker forcing it closed.

"He can stay there."

"No way." They stopped to glare at each other. Elliana shoved his hand aside and he slammed her into the locker door with his other hand tight around her throat. Fantastic, he's going to kill me in the middle of school, was all Ell could think as the air was slowly being choked off. She struggled and Lash laughed; she'd never realized how sinister his laugh sounded. She wriggled and thrashed against the locker, trying to land a kick in his stomach, but he kept moving farther back.

"What is going on here?" A voice demanded. There was too little air in her lungs for Ell to focus on where it came from. She felt dizzy and light headed. She could hear yelling. And then she could breathe! The air was blessedly cool as she sucked in big lungfulls greedily. She hadn't noticed that she was now curled on the floor. The tightness of the hand around her throat was gone but still ached painfully when she turned her head from one side to the other. "Detention." It was Principal Powers. She was standing to her full and impressive height, which wasn't that tall really considering Lash towered over everyone, looking extremely displeased and going into full blown lecture mode. Lash seemed to cower before her. Elliana could gain her wits about her only to catch the tail end of the tirade. "We do not tolerate fighting in the hallways at Sky High; I hope this is perfectly clear to both of you!" Pulling herself off the ground, Ell followed her partner and the sound of angry clacking heels to the detention room. She'd never seen Powers this angry before. The door slid open nearly blinding her with the unearthly white glow of the humming walls revealing two desks.

"You two had better start learning how to work together or expect to be spending another year here _together_," Powers snapped ushering them into the room. "And Mr. Jenkins you are on very thin ice. You are lucky we even considered letting you back into the school, do not ruin this opportunity for yourself." And with that she turned in her shinny white heels and stalked from the room, the door whooshing shut behind her. Lash settled into a desk moodily.

"Mr. Jenkins?" Elliana said smirking.

"Shut up." It had never occurred to her that he might have a name other than 'Lash'. She was enjoying this. Having a real name somehow made him seem less threatening, it humanized him, which was probably the exact reason he went by a nickname. He wanted everyone to be scared of him.

"What's your first name?" he glared at her. She grinned wider.

"Jake…"

"Your name is Jake Jenkins?" She said with a giggle.

"Jacob Joshua Jenkins."

"Holy alliteration batman!" He looked away from her clearly embarrassed. His pale cheeks burned red and he looked fixedly at the smooth white walls. There was an uncomfortable silence that stretched between them.

"Don't tell anyone," he grumbled.

"Why shouldn't I? You just stuffed me in a locker and tried to kill me."

"Don't be so melodramatic, I did not try to kill you."

"You were strangling me."

"Sorry…." He was still looking away. Elliana hadn't been expecting an apology; she didn't know what to say. She was still on edge, all barbs and sarcasm, he'd never apologized before, he'd never even been nice; how was she supposed to react?

"I see why you go by Lash," She said boosting herself up to sit on the other desk, "Jacob Joshua Jenkins is an unfortunate name."

"It was my dad's name… he died when I was four." That was awkward. Why was she even in here? She was the one who was being strangled after all. She was angry that she had to be stuck in here with him, angry about having to spend the whole year with him and she was especially angry that he was making it so damn difficult to hate him right now.

"Why are you such a jerk?" She spat out before she could stop herself. She was just so frustrated. He smiled glad to be back on familiar ground.

"Why not?" He looked at her with a smirk. She was starting to see now, courtesy of all the times that her mom had tried to psychoanalyze her, that there were two sides to Lash: the real Lash who she'd glimpsed briefly for a moment when he talked about his dad and then there was the fake Lash, the wall he put up to keep everyone out, so no one could ever get to the real Lash. She suspected that somehow he'd been hurt. Be it an abusive childhood, or a girl, or the lack of his father, but somewhere someone had hurt him and now he was afraid, so terribly afraid and for that he blamed the world. Now she was looking away from him. She didn't want him to see the pity in her eyes. Luckily they were both distracted in that moment when the floor started to rumble and then shake violently. Elliana was thrown from her desk and landed on the still violently bucking floor. The world around her roared like a voracious beast in a rage and all she could do was clench her eyes shut and wait it out. In reality the whole thing only lasted about 30 seconds but to her it felt like an hour.

"Holy shit, are you alright?" Opening her eyes she saw that Lash had sprang out of his seat and was standing over her looking frazzled. His brown eyes were wide with panic and… worry? Was it possible that he may have been concerned about her?

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said pulling herself off the ground, "what the hell was that?"

"I dunno, earthquake maybe?"

"We are in the sky idiot." Before they could start fighting again the door whooshed open and if they thought Principal Powers was angry before they hadn't seen anything yet.

"_EXPLAIN!"_ she thundered at Lash. He sprang back from her submissively.

"Whoa! What's going on?"

"YOU HAVE 60 SECONDS TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU WOULD _EVER_ DO THIS AND THEN I AM SENDING YOU BACK! I WANT YOU _OUT OF MY SCHOOL!" _Powers was beside herself in anger and Ell thought she saw the beginnings of tears. Lash sputtered and tried to inject protest while Powers hurled her words at him.

"Principle -"

"_HOW DARE YOU!"_

"- Powers, I didn't -"

"SOMEONE WAS ALMOST _KILLED!"_

"- do anything!" A cold feeling washed over Elliana. Killed? And suddenly all she could think of was Ethan. She had never managed to get him out of his locker. What if he'd suffocated? She realized she had been standing there rooted to the spot with her mouth gaping open since Powers had burst in here. She also realized that Coach Boomer was in the threshold looking grim. He had a big black sooty smudge across his face, Principal Powers was bleeding from a cut near her eye and she seemed to have a finer more dispersed black film on her face.

"Oh god, something exploded didn't it?" Ell whispered, more to herself in realization than to anyone in particular. The three of them stopped and looked at her. Powers did have tears now, streaming down her cheeks silently, making rivers in the soot on her face. Elliana heard herself speaking rapidly. "P-principal powers, I swear to you, Lash didn't do anything, I was with him all day, he couldn't have possibly done anything, I mean I could always see him, I didn't see him do this, he didn't. He didn't do this. I know he didn't –" She was rambling and couldn't stop. It was like she was beside her body watching herself and could do nothing to do to stop herself, because she knew who'd been hurt, Ethan, and she needed, _needed_, for Lash to not be responsible.

"That remains to be seen," Principal Powers said. The older woman had had enough; Ell could see it in her eyes that she could just not deal anymore. She turned from the room and walked briskly away.

"Um, your friend Ethan," Boomer said, for the first time ever in her memory seeming reluctant to speak, "he was hurt when the bathroom by his locker exploded… They aren't sure if he'll be okay." And with that he left too, leaving the door open. The blood pounded in her ears she could feel tears on her face. Lash was limp with shock.

"Did you do this?" She asked weakly.

"No…"

"_DID YOU DO THIS?" _she screamed at him.

"NO! You said yourself, you were with me all day, when would I have the time to put a bomb in the bathroom?" He was shaking. "Powers is going to kick me out of school." He sat on the floor, hard. He was in shock.

"Then we are going to find out who did."

"What?" he looked at her incredulously, "How do you suggest we do that?"

"Do you want to get kicked out of school?"

"No," She gave him a look that said 'well then'.

"I'm going to borrow my mom's powers." Ell said whirling and starting out into the hallway.

"What? What does that even mean?" He asked springing after her.


	3. Chapter 3

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain? Rated M for later chapters. LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Letters to Cleo although I wish I did._**

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Three

_It was too late for any lame apologies  
by the way it's your second face I didn't see_

_So you can talk as the hours slip away  
As my own I can call another day  
About what I heard and I just can't believe it's true  
All of things I should've known about you  
So won't you come on, come on  
To my embrace  
How you sleep so easy is a mystery_

_- Letters to Cleo_

The school was in an uproar. Students flooded the hallways, scared, confused, some were in tears, others in shock. Elliana pushed through them all, not caring whose foot she was stepping on or who she rudely shoved out of the way. Teachers were shouting trying to regain control of their students, trying to enforce some order in this swirling chaos, she ignored all of it. She was single minded to the point of recklessness, she had to get to her mother.

"Stop for a second!" Lash shouted behind her. "What are we doing?" He stopped firmly causing her to stop too. "Just relax, I know your upset but we need to just calm down." Upset? She was beyond upset, she wanted to yell that at him, to scream at him until her throat hurt but it would do no good, Lash wasn't responsible. He froze looking over her shoulder, Elliana whirled. Ethan, he looked so little and fragile on the white gurney. He was being wheeled by them by the school nurse. His face was unmarked, peaceful, but the white sheet that covered him was sporting a rapidly growing crimson stain. Oh God.

"Ell…" Will was following in the gurneys' wake accompanied by all their friends. He stopped when he saw her, motioning for Layla to go on without him for a minute. He turned back to face her and she saw that his handsome face was tearstained. "Ethan…" he couldn't go on.

"Don't worry Will," Ell whispered wrapping her arms around him, "Ethan will be okay, you'll see." Her words sounded hollow to her own ears. He was crying again into her shoulder. Even though the situation was grave she felt a pang in her heart at how sensitive the unbreakable Will Stronghold was, and hated herself for it. This was not the time for hormones, yet she couldn't help but hold him a little closer. "Don't worry I'm going to find out who did this."

"I don't think you need to look much further that your partner," Will muttered lifting his face and trying to wipe away his tears in a manly fashion. His face was set and cold, he was glaring at Lash.

"Oh something goes wrong and you immediately blame it on the ex-con, is that it Stronghold?" Lash retorted, he sounded bitter.

"Guys…"

"Well you know, turning people into babies, blowing up the school, not a big stretch you know."

"Screw you. For the last time, I didn't do this!"

"Ethan was locked in his locker; I wonder how he got there." Will shouted. Both Ell and Lash paled. Even if they hadn't planted the bomb they were both responsible if Ethan was hurt because he couldn't get out of his locker. "Ell I've got to go," Will muttered, "I'll see you later okay, we're all meeting at the paper lantern tonight at 7."

"Yeah Will, I'll see you then." Her voice shook as she watched him walk away. She looked back to Lash who was staring off into middle distance blankly, starting to get lost in the confusion of the tumult of people around them. She pulled gently on his sleeve and he looked at her, through her, not really aware of who she was or where they were.

"Hey, come on. We have a job to do." He followed her without complaint through the winding hallways until they got to room 207, the space-time lab.

"What are we doing here?"

"My mom teaches this class." She pushed open the door praying that she would find her mother behind her desk and not out somewhere in the hallway. The classroom always reminded her a little bit of home. Along the back wall behind the desks her mother had mounted about a dozen antique clocks, a small portion of the massive collection that adorned the walls of their house. On the wall opposite the windows hung a huge poster that Ell had helped her mother create, which outlined the 10 most important rules of time travel. On the black board behind the great oak desk, her mother had been drawing blueprints for a simple particle accelerator. It was behind that handsome desk that her mother sat now, clutching a box of Kleenex like it was a life preserver, eyes puffy.

Ell looked nothing like her mother. Her mother was glamorous; she looked like she belonged in Hollywood, with her long lustrous platinum hair and her toned physique; not to mention her megawatt smile that would make even Tom Cruise jealous. The smile was what bothered Ell the most because she knew that it was fake. She didn't bother to smile now as she saw her daughter approaching. The only feature that they shared was the eyes: Almond shaped, vast, like Bambi, surrounded by a thick fringe of black lashes. On her mother they were alluring, enticing, on Elliana they just looked to big for her face. In this light her mother's eyes were pale blue, Elliana knew her own would be turquoise.

"Oh sweetheart," her mom sobbed, reaching out for Elliana's hands, "I'm so sorry about Ethan." She didn't bother to get up from her desk as if Ell should be the one comforting her instead of the other way around.

"Er, that's why we're here. I need to borrow your power for maybe an hour or so." Andromeda, which was her mothers' name, looked perplexed. Weird names ran in the family, like her own, Elliana, was that even a real name?

"I don't know chickpea," She said pursing her lips, "You know that I don't like doing that, and I still have a class after this one." Ell held in her scowl.

"It's looking like they are going to cancel the rest of the day and this is important." Still looking doubtful, Andromeda examined her nails with great interest. Lash was looking as frustrated as Ell felt.

"What do you mean borrow her power?" He asked. "Is that what you do?"

"Yes dear and it's frightfully painful to have your powers ripped out of you," her mother said gravely, as if she were a victim of horrid abuse. Ell was going to abuse her if she didn't stop this bullshit. Maybe this was why she hated her powers so much, because whenever Andromeda got the chance she painted her daughter as a vicious monster.

"I do not rip them out of you." Ell cried. "I always ask first," she said to Lash, "and that's why I wear the glove, to make sure I don't hurt anyone by accident." He didn't look as horrified as his mother would have liked, which made Ell feel a little better.

"So you take them, and then the person doesn't have them anymore?"

"No, it's not like that. I borrow some of them. For example if I borrowed from you, you wouldn't be able to stretch nearly as far but you would still be able to use your powers."

"That is bitchen!" He exclaimed.

"Not really… no one likes you when you can steal the only thing that makes them unique." Ell muttered. Andromeda cleared her throat impatiently.

"You may take them, I guess." She said self-righteously.

"Thanks mom, I owe you."

"That's right you do." Ell removed her glove, revealing nothing spectacular, no hideous burns, no scars no odd tattoos, just a hand that matched her other with the same blue nail polish. She pressed her palm to her mother's cheek, who was bracing herself for the pain that she knew would come. The was a big whoosh almost below normal hearing and a bright golden light seemed to pour from her mothers face and jump up her arm diffusing into her skin. Andromeda cried out in pain, clenching her jaw as tears spilled from her eyes unwillingly. Elliana felt guilt. Her mother seemed to crumple, be half a person; she'd lost her eagerness to put on a show for them.

"Very important," her voice was weak, "do you remember the rules?"

"Change nothing, do not be seen." Ell said confidently. Her mother offered her a weak smile.

"Good girl." Ell grabbed Lash and ran from the room.

"Okay, so what just happened?" Ell was pulling her glove back on incase someone accidentally brushed her left hand with their bare skin.

"I borrowed her power, she can control time."

"So we're going to go back in time and let Ethan out of the locker."

"No, it's not that simple." She was looking for an empty closet so no one would see them. "The cardinal responsibility of time travel is that you must change nothing."

"That's bull. Then what are we doing?"

"We're going to see who really put that bomb in the bathroom." She pulled open a janitorial closet that was sufficiently roomy. She pushed Lash in ahead of her and pulled the door closed behind her. It was dark; the light filtering under the door was not enough to allow them to see each other. She couldn't tell where he was until they were running into each other.

"Ow..." Something clicked and light sprang to life. Lash had found the pull chord for the bare bulb that illuminated the tiny space.

"What are we doing in a closet?" He was moody again.

"We can't be seen. Do you have a watch?"

"No, wasn't there a watch in our envelope?" Good call, why hadn't she thought of that first? So maybe he wasn't completely useless. She rustled around in her messenger bag until she managed to extract the pocket watch. It glinted mysteriously in the gloom and Ell felt a shiver of dark foreboding run down her spine.

"What time was class done? We have to get down there before Speed does so we don't see ourselves."

"1:43" Elliana placed the watch face up in her palm and reached for the new power with her mind, she ran her fingertips around the face turning the hands backwards to 1:30, giving them plenty of time to get down to Ethan's locker. As she did this, a strong gust of wind seemed to pick up in the closet surrounding them.

"Hold on to me." Lash gripped her shoulders painfully. Traveling through time was always scary the first time. They were jerked off their feet, tumbling through nothingness, if she had dared to open her eyes she would have seen a vortex of glistening colours, but she kept them firmly closed afraid that if she looked she would loose her lunch.

They were deposited roughly on the ground in the same closet. It was dark again since they were in the closet at least a half hour before. Lash groaned in pain clutching his side. He'd managed to hit something when they tumbled to the ground and was now lying on top of something pleasantly soft. Had they stepped into an alternate universe where suddenly things as bizarre as this could happen? It seemed like everything had been dialed up a few notches on the weirdness dial since he'd come back to this school, or maybe he'd spent too much time in solitary.

"Ouch…" Elliana moaned from somewhere beneath him; oh no. He felt along the ceiling until his hand found the string again the light clicked on again. That soft thing he was lying on was her. She didn't seem to notice though; she must have hit her head on the floor because she seemed a little dazed. "I think my glasses are broken…" she mumbled. They were in an awkward position and his brain seemed to have stalled for the time being as he stared down at her face, because his body wouldn't get up; his heart had kicked into high gear. Stop being such a guy, he told himself as he scrambled off of her. She was feeling along the floor for her frames and Lash saw them in the bucket, snapped right in half.

"Come on, get up," He said awkwardly.

"Don't be an ass." Frustration flared up inside of him. Why did she have to make everything so difficult? Bending over he got his hands under her armpits and lifted her like a child, standing her on her feet, she weighed almost nothing. He pushed the broken pieces of her glasses into her hands and opened the door cautiously; class was still going on so the hallways were empty. "Fantastic," she muttered shoving the frames in her bag. They slipped into the hallway stealthily; Lash half leading Elliana half trying to ignore the feeling of her hand on his arm. They reached Ethan's locker with no one in sight. He stopped abruptly and she ran into him.

"What's the plan?"

"Well I think we should search the bathroom and make sure the bomb isn't already in there, if it is we have to go back farther." She started for the swinging washroom door, miscalculated and ran into a locker.

"Jesus," he muttered feeling a smile start to tug at his lips. "Um, one problem, it's the girls bathroom." She turned to glare at him although he noticed she was sort of glaring to the left of him.

"Don't be an idiot." He followed her reluctantly through the door, not exactly sure why he was so hesitant to enter the sanctity of the female washroom, maybe it was because it made him feel like a pervert. He could hear the shrill voice of his mother shouting at him in his head, if she knew he was doing this she would knock him into next week. Plunging ahead of him, Ell was almost taken out by a sink, but managed to maneuver around it. He sighed mentally knowing she wouldn't be much use and worked meticulously through the bathroom looking for something that might be suspicious. He checked every stall, every hand dryer, the tampon dispenser (with great trepidation), every sink behind every picture on the wall, under all the window sills; the place was clean.

"I don't see anything." He reported, "Unless it's in a toilet."

"Why don't you stick your head in and check," she said with a smirk. That was a low blow. Clearly the sidekick had regaled his friends with the tale of his cunning defeat. Lash fumed. If that little bastard turned out to be okay, he was going to put him right back in the hospital. He was ready to retort with viciousness when they the first door to the bathroom bang open.

"Shit," He pulled her into the first stall with him clapping a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming in surprise. He jumped up onto the toilet seat, helping her up after him, so who ever it was wouldn't see his feet.

"You're too tall!" She hissed. "They'll see your head over the stall." He cursed mentally. There was much scuffling and tangled limbs as they tried to arrange themselves. In the end he ended up crouching on the toilet, his hands braced against the walls to keep from falling off while Elliana had to sit on his lap, except she was facing him, straddling his knees. He was glad that his head was stretched around her and pressed to the crack in the door so she couldn't see the blushed flared up on his cheeks. It felt like his face and neck were on fire. They held their breath as the inner door burst open. A bunch of giggling freshmen walked in, fixing their hair and reapplying their make up. Lash wrenched his eyes shut, feeling even more like a pervert as one of them started adjusting bra straps, especially with Ell pressed so close against him. This was a nightmare.

The door burst open a second time and all the girls screamed shrilly, he was starting to get a headache. His eyes flew open and he peered, bending his head at odd angles trying to see who had just entered. His heart sank. It was Speed.

"Ladies," He said, folding himself into a mock bow. Lash wanted to knock him out. Not because he was intruding on female privacy, not even because about to seriously hurt someone innocent, but because Speed was his best and only friend; they'd known each other since they were in the womb, and right now Speed was about to get himself into a lot of shit and they would have to be divided. Because Lash wasn't that guy anymore, and he didn't think he ever could be again, but clearly Speed was and that meant that they couldn't possibly stay friends. He knew it was selfish, but hey, he was a selfish guy and he was furious in that moment for being forced to watch his sudo-brother damn himself. He started to get up as the girls stormed out of the bathroom in a humiliated fashion, almost throwing Elliana off him. She pinched him.

"We can't be seen," she whispered through gritted teeth.

"But…"

"_No_," she said severely, "we can't interfere." He pressed his eye back to the crack, watching as Speed popped the grate off an air vent and tossed a disk down the shaft, it looked like a sleek silver Frisbee. That must have been the bomb. The air shaft passed right next to the lockers, Lash tried not to imagine the devastation that it must have caused or the poor injured sidekick lying unconscious in the nurses' office. Satisfied with himself, Speed started talking to someone, reporting that the mission was go. Lash couldn't see anyone but just because he couldn't see them didn't mean that no one was there. They could be invisible, shifted to an inanimate object, in the mirror or maybe the person was telepathic and Speed was just too stupid to talk in his mind.

His caves were starting to burn from sitting in this position to long. They both breathed a sigh of relief when Speed departed the washroom. She clambered off his lap and out into open air.

"We have to hurry." He started for the door and she grabbed his arm. "Not that way."

"Why not?"

"Because you are in the process of stuffing me in a locker right outside these doors. You and your past self can't occupy the same space without there being serious repercussions on the universe."

"So, what, if I walk out that door and see myself the universe will implode on itself?" He was being sarcastic but she looked at him very seriously and said,

"That is_ exactly_ what."

"Okay… the window then?" They could hear Principal Powers yelling in the hallway, time was running out. The window wouldn't budge when he tried it, what kind of idiot painted windows shut? Honestly what if there was a fire? He looked around for something to throw through it, but everything in the bathroom was securely bolted down. Damn it…

He pulled the black polo shirt he was wearing over his head, leaving him in just the formfitting black and white stripped shirt and wrapped it around his fist.

"What the hell are you doing?" She was looking at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Oh, I just thought right now would be a great time for us to get naked," He snapped sarcastically, "What the hell does it look like I'm doing?" He punched through the glass with his shirt protected hand. The window was one big pane and shattered instantly raining crystalline shards upon them. Quickly he spread the shirt over the window frame so they wouldn't cut themselves and boosted Elliana out the window. She hit the ground less than gracefully; He dropped beside her just in time as there was a deafening explosion as the other two windows exploded out ward, showering them with glass. He pulled her into his chest trying to shield her from the worst of it. She was breathing rapidly with adrenaline and fear and he could feel her quick exhalations through the thin material of his shirt, and the rapid rise and fall of her chest against his own. When the fireworks were over Lash realized that he was lying on top of her again; they seemed to be ending up in this position a lot. Elliana was lying serenely on the grass, her hair fanned out around her and she smiled at him as he started to push himself up.

"You have glass in your hair," She said reaching up and brushing her fingers through his hair to loosen the glass that had tangled itself amongst his tousled hair.

"You're bleeding," he replied, using his thumb to wipe the blood from her cheek that was just starting to well up from a shallow cut. This was starting to get intense. Lash sprang away from her like she'd electrocuted him. He wasn't exactly sure what his problem was, except that Elliana already knew too much about him, she was too close, and that made him restless like a caged animal. It was time for him to systematically alienate her. That's what he did best. "Don't just lye there all day," he snapped, snatching his shirt from the windowsill and shaking it out. She was frowning, he'd pissed her off he could tell, he could almost feel her glaring a hole in the back of his head. Good, the angrier she was with him, the more likely she was to leave him alone. And that's what he wanted; wasn't it?

Elliana was confused, infuriated and a little humiliated. She just didn't get this guy. She was mostly mad at herself for almost believing for the briefest of seconds that Lash was not a bad guy, she was mad at how her body reacted when she was in close proximity to him. She wanted to throw him off the edge of the school.

"Let's go," she snapped "We have to make it back to the closet by the time we leave for the past."

"Why?"

"Because if we don't we'll create a hiccup in the space-time continuum." This was the hard part, they had to weave through the students in the hallway and hope that they didn't see themselves and hope that no one stops them to talk. They set of together in dejected silence, trying to be as unnoticed as possible. Re-walking the path they'd already taken through the pandemonium once that day was like horrible dejavu.

"There," Lash pointed, and Elliana saw her on red curls disappear around the corner. If they got to close to their past selves they could cause the universe to implode, which really sounded melodramatic and stupid but it was true; however, if they didn't time this just right they would cause something horrible to happen. A hiccup in time could cause them to miss years of their life, or to travel back in time millions of years, anything really. She peered around the corner and watched as they disappeared inside the closet, perfect. They had only been in the closet about two minutes, three tops. She had the watch in her hand again, gripping it tightly.

"Is it time?" Lash looked tense, Elliana felt tense, this part had to go just right. She was watching under the crack in the door when it happened. There was a big flash of light and a crackling noise, the smell of ozone was thick in the air.

"Now," she said and Lash flung the door open just in time to see the remnants of the rip they'd opened to close with a crackle of electricity. They leapt in after it and the room turned them upside-down.

"This doesn't feel right," he muttered looking queasy.

"Did anything that just happened seem weird to you?" He looked at her incredulously.

"What that just happened was _not_ weird?"

"Don't you think the bomb went off too fast?" We heard Powers yelling at you right before you opened the window, but we were in the detention room for at least 10 minutes before we felt the explosion."

"Did we change something?"

"We must have." As they opened the door, Elliana saw a familiar redhead hurry by. "Layla!" she shouted, and then realized how bad she and Lash must look emerging from the closet. Layla stopped and grinned at her.

"Geeze, you guys can't stay out of there can you?"

"Whoa, What?" Lash demanded over her shoulder, he still seemed to be bristling from his dramatic mood change outside the bathroom.

"Well Ethan saw you guys coming out here about half an hour ago and as soon as the bell rang we've been looking for you, because well, Will's been freaking out at the idea of you and .." Layla motioned to Lash. His eyes narrowed. "And then the explosion happened."

"Is Ethan okay?"

"Yea, He was with Will outside. Did you see Speed get arrested?" She said with excitement and then looked furtively at Lash, whose eyes narrowed even further if that was possible. "Well um, I should go..:" And with that Layla scampered away to catch the busses. Ell and Lash looked at each other in stunned silence.

"Why did you help me?" His voice was quiet, she could tell he wanted to look at her but his eyes wouldn't meet hers; he seemed to be looking intently at her eyebrows.

"I don't know… it's just the right thing to do."

"Thank you," He offered reluctantly and their eyes did meet then. His eyes were so deep and dark they were almost black. She swallowed thickly, not sure how much more of this she could take. She wouldn't survive a whole year of two sided Lash. He was going to kill her.

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**Hey my lovely readers, I hope I didn't loose you with this chapter, I'm not really sure about it. Unfortunately my holidays are over and I have to go back to my job and work long 12 hour shifts, so it might take me a few days to get chapter 4 up. Stay with me, I hope this story can only get better.**

**-Kerostar**


	4. Chapter 4

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain? LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Fall Out Boy, but Patrick Stump rocks my socks. **_

_**Also a note to some concerns people brought to me with their reviews I'd just like to address the POV switch. It was not a mistake. I think that it is necessary to see what is happening in both characters heads sometimes, so I will probably switch them again throughout the remainder of the story. I'm sorry if it confused anyone before. Also I know I promised you a tougher better Lash, but unfortunately I can't seem to write him that way. The first draft I did of this chapter was terrible with that other Lash, so I wrote him the only way that seems right to me and this draft really isn't much better than draft one, but I am more satisfied with it. **_

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Four

_My heart is on my sleeve  
Wear it like a bruise of black eye  
My badge, my witness  
Means that I believed  
Every single lie that you said  
Cause every pane of glass that your pebbles tap  
Negates the pains I went through to avoid you  
And every little pat on the shoulder for attention  
Fails to mention I still hate you_

_- Fall Out Boy_

"These egg rolls are so good," Elliana said taking a bite and accidentally slopping half of it onto her notebook. Layla mumbled her agreement around her own mouthful and they started to giggle. Will just rolled his eyes.

"Really?" Ethan prodded mischievously, "Better than Lash?" He and Zack burst out sniggering.

"That doesn't even make sense." After the bomb incident it had taken sometime for everything to snap back to normal; two was the magic number. It had taken Ell and Lash two minutes to start hating each other again, Lash two days to start bullying sidekicks again, Ell two weeks to convince Will that Lash did not need a telephone pole up his ass; and convincing her friends that she and Lash had not been making out in the closet, well so far that was two months and counting. No one was convinced yet. Only Magenta seemed to be sympathetic, but that was just because she and Zach had been caught in the same closet last year.

It was now mid November and Elliana was no closer to finishing _The Project_ than she had been when she was handed the envelope; however the rest of the senior class stalled their progress after the first big lead and were stumped, so she didn't feel too bad. The problem was trying to motivate Lash to help her work; instead Lash had spent the last two months doing everything in his power to make Elliana loath him. Mission accomplished. Not a minute would go by when he wasn't being obnoxious, vulgar, infuriating, tasteless, and generally an all around jackass. His new favorite game always occurred during lunch; he would wait patiently for her to take a sip of what ever she was drinking that day and then run backwards to jolt her or grab her ankle under the table, either way causing her to spill whatever it was down the front of her. Last time it had been hot soup which had earned him her bottle of cranberry juice chucked in his general direction (and landed them both detention).

"Hey Ell," Zach said innocently, "Do you and Lash love each other?" She threw a chicken ball at him.

"Speaking of Lash," Layla interjected, "where has he been this week?" It was a good question. Monday was the first Lash free day Ell experienced since school began, it was like Christmas, Tuesday had been even better. By Wednesday she was starting to get annoyed and by Thursday annoyance had turned into suspicion. It was now Friday after school and suspicion had become full blown worry. She could think of a million elaborate Super Villain scenarios that could keep Lash away from school, each one more unlikely than the next. As much as she hated to admit it she was worried about his safety because she was sure there was some deep dark undetected scheme hovering over them. The pocket watch in the envelope at the precise moment when it was imperative that they time travel was almost too much of a coincidence to ignore, and her mother had always said there were no coincidences in this world. When you dealt that much with time and space you sort of started to see the big picture, so Ell was inclined to take her mothers word for it that everything happened for a reason; even the smallest happenstance could have huge implications.

"Yea, I say you go to that dudes house and bring the noise on him." Zach offered. Immediately everyone seemed to think it was a good idea, everyone except Ell.

"No, I'll just yell at him on Monday…"

"You should totally do it," Magenta insisted.

"You know he only lives a block from here," Will offered innocently, "We could walk you there…"

"No – " but her protests were useless, everyone was grabbing coats and hats, gathering their home work with great gusto, and herding her out of the restaurant. How do I get myself into these messes, she wondered.

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Abandoned on the corner by her friends, with promises to call them later and tell them about all the weird stuff she saw in his house, Elliana stood alone across the street from a red brick duplex.

"This is the place," Will had said, pointing to the right side, "he lives in 59." Ell had asked him how he knew all this but he'd just laughed her off and wished her good luck. Now they were gone and her stomach was churning with apprehension. It was like that feeling you get right before a thunderstorm or a tornado, maybe it was electricity in the air, or maybe it was just impeding doom she couldn't be sure, but it made her want to loose her egg rolls. The front walk was lined with little violets, to a tiny front step and an old wooden door featuring a large oval stained glass window in the center. There was a window box of fuzzy orange flowers, and the think drapes were pulled tightly closed. It seemed almost homely and not at all the place she expected an ex-villain to live. _Where did you think he lived_, she asked herself, _a crack house_? Forcing her legs to move she made her way across the street and up the walk and without pausing to think she knocked on the door.

Immediately after she panicked and looked frantically for a way to get herself out of this mess. There was nothing she could hide behind, open space in every direction, when he pulled the door open he would see her running away and that would be far worse. The door creaked open.

"Can I help you?" Except the words did not come out clean in plain English like that, they were slurred and accompanied by the sharp tang of hard liquor. The voice was grizzled and weary like it hadn't been used in months and Elliana felt her heart break as she looked into the face of the saddest woman she'd ever seen. Her brown hair hung limp next to a face that would have been beautiful if anyone who looked into it couldn't see the defeat in her eyes and the pain in her soul. Her brown eyes drooped in the corners, not entirely focusing and there were premature wrinkles lining her forehead and neck. Her Bathrobe was skuzzy and smelled, like it hadn't been washed in a long time, there were big dark stains that looked like old blood spilled. Elliana was looking at a broken woman. She'd almost forgotten why she'd come here.

"I, um, I was looking for Lash, is he… home?" The words tripped out of her mouth before she could stop them, she should have just said she was selling something and gotten the hell out of there, but now it was too late. The woman's eyes narrowed, causing her to look even older.

"You know my good for nothing son?" She spat out the slurred words as if she hated to utter them, "You want to see, my bastard son?"

"Er, yes. If that's okay. I could come back later –" but the woman was already bellowing from the doorway."

"Boy!" she shouted, "Boy get your ass down here." The feeling of dread worsened as she heard pounding on the stairs, footsteps, Lash. He took the steps two at a time looking very tired, Ell could see him over the woman's' shoulder, he hadn't looked up and noticed her yet.

"What is it?" he asked finishing off the last of the steps, Ell met his eyes and he froze.

"Don't talk to me that way you fucking criminal. You mistake, I should have killed you in the womb…" She kept babbling insults as she sauntered off into the living room, her steps unsteady causing her to lurch from side to side. Lash looked like a deer in the headlights. Ell wanted to run away but her feet seemed rooted to the step. "Shut the goddamn door, you're letting the heat out!" the woman bellowed.

"Out," Lash said hoarsely.

"What?" Ell replied looking confused.

"Out! Get out." She hurriedly backed away from the door and he followed her outside slammed the door behind him. "What are you doing here?" He demanded. He didn't seem angry, more like scandalized that she would dare show up at his house.

"I-I…"

"Well?"

"I… Where were you all week?" She couldn't form simple sentences, and had completely forgotten all about her anger. Did he live like this? With that woman everyday? Was that his mother? She was horrified and he could read it all over her face.

"My grandmother sprained her ankle so she's been kind of helpless all week. I couldn't really trust my mom to take care of her, as you can see, so I did." Ell's jaw dropped. He what?

"Your grandmother…?"

"Sprained her ankle, am I still speaking English?"

"Jake…" They both looked up to see a kindly old woman poking her head out of a second story window. "Your tea is getting cold."

"Get back in bed Grandma before you hurt yourself." Lash called impatiently.

"Oh hush up. Bring your friend when you come back." She said before disappearing back into the house. Lash bit his lip and looked at Ell under his fringe of hair.

"Your… tea?" Lash rolled his eyes and she kicked mentally for not being able to speak intelligently.

"Look, why did you come here?" Ell held up the envelope wordlessly. She didn't trust herself to speak anymore. He sighed heavily.

"Come on," She followed him reluctantly back into the house which was surprisingly clean except for the empty bottles scattered across the counter. Lash hustled her quickly past the opening to the living room where a soap opera played an eerie glow on his mothers' worn face, but apparently not quick enough.

"Don't bring your sluts in here." She spat in their direction. Lash kept pushing her towards the stairs, but the woman pulled her bathrobe tight around her shoulders and followed them. "Hey, I'm talking to you." She had a bottle of Jack Daniels in one hand and in the other a bottle of Irish Cream that she was apparently using as a chaser. "Are you stupid too? Can't you fucking hear me? I said don't you bring filth into my house!" The words got more slurred the more concentration she had to put into walking and talking at once.

"Go up the stairs, go." Lash muttered. Ell didn't need to be told twice, she took them two and three at a time, trying to get as far away from the confrontation as possible. As she got to the top of the stairs she heard and explosion of voices yelling at each other and a bottle smash. They were so heated and angry that she couldn't even make out what they were saying.

"_In here dear,"_ The voice seemed to sound in her head rather than out loud, pushing the sound of arguing out of her mind. Ell edged towards the room to her right easing the door open to reveal the old woman, sitting up in bed with a T.V. dinner tray of tea and cookies on her lap and a warm smile on her face.

"Shut the door behind you dear, we don't want to hear all that." Ell obliged and immediately liked this woman. She seemed to radiate motherly kindness and affection; her brown eyes held a wise twinkle, like she knew a secret. "Come in, have a seat there at the end of the bed, you can drink Jake's tea, he doesn't like it much anyway." Ell clambered onto the bed awkwardly; she accepted the cup and saucer the woman held out to her shyly to see that Lash had already added milk. She felt like she'd just stepped through the looking glass, seeing things about Lash she was never meant to see or even have an inkling about; her head was spinning.

"He's a complicated boy," The woman said nodding her head as if she'd been listening to Ell's thoughts all along. "He guards his secrets closely, but if you give him a chance he'll open up in no time."

"How…?"

"I'm a telepath," she explained, "Sorry dear I didn't mean to eavesdrop but you face looked so troubled."

"Oh that's all right, er…"

"You can call me Grandma Jenkins." She said with a smile that caused her eyes to crinkle up at the corners, Ell couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm Elliana."

"Nice to meet you." She looked to the door and a moment later Lash walked in looking emotionally drained. He leaned against the closed door for a minute with his eyes closed, as if he forgot that that anyone was in here. His eyelids were blue like he hadn't slept in days, looking so young.

"I'm sorry about that," he muttered without opening his eyes.

"Oh you're such a bad boy," Grandma Jenkins said with affection and Lash smiled the first genuine smile she'd ever seen on his face. The usual twisted grins that he threw her way were usually backed by sarcasm or malice, but this transformed his whole face; it formed tiny dimples in his cheeks. Ell felt her breath catch involuntarily.

"You would know wouldn't you Grandma." She winked at Ell.

"So what brings you here today dear," She said motioning for the younger girl to drink her tea, which she did with a grimace; apparently Lash liked a little tea with his sugar.

"I, well, Lash hasn't been at school all week so I just came to…"

"To rip him a new asshole dear?" Grandma Jenkins finished for her with a straight face. Ell choked into her tea. Lash looked skyward.

"I guess you could say that."

"I see you've been giving this girl a lot of grief Jake."

"It's not nice to snoop in peoples minds Grandma," Lash replied through gritted teeth. It was easy to see he had a weak spot for her, if anyone else had questioned his treatment of Ell he might have taken off their head, but he could only smile for this woman who obviously loved him more than the world. Ell could almost trick herself into feeling like she could belong here, in this room with these people forever.

"Get some rest Grandma." He said dropping a kiss on her forehead and moving the tray to the bedside table. He jerked his head towards the door indicating to Ell that it was time to leave. He held the door open for her as Grandma Jenkins called out,

"Come back and visit soon dear," Ell nodded as Lash used one long arm to push her down the hallway. "She's sweet," She said to her grandson, "and very pretty. I like her much better than your last girlfriend."

"Me too."

Ell heard nothing of this exchange as she put a nervous hand on the doorknob of the room at the end of the hall. It twisted easily in her hand but slipped back as her had was slick with sweat. _What is wrong with you today? _She scolded herself; _it's just a bedroom, now go!_ Deep down she didn't want to acknowledge the real problem, that the thought of being alone in his bedroom with Lash made something flutter in her stomach uncomfortably.

"What are you waiting for?" His voice was right in her ear, a low whisper. Elliana jumped a mile; her back was right against his chest. He propelled her forward with a hand on her lower back and she forced herself to turn the knob again. His room was quiet and dark, the walls stark white and his bed dressed in black. Shoved haphazardly in one corner was a creaky old armoire and an equally old and infinitely more dusty bookshelf. Band posters covered 90 percent of the walls and ceiling and a healthy layer of dirty clothes covered the floor. All completely normal; no epiphany of Lash in here just oodles of normal teenaged boy. His hand was still on her back and she was painfully aware of it. He was next to her now in the room, looking down her shirt brazenly with startling intensity.

"Lash?"

"You have a spider…"

"Excuse me?"

"On you. You have a spider on you, right here." He pointed to the center of his chest, right where her v-neck shit plunged slightly. Ell tensed up immediately. No no no no no no no no no no no…. She could not deal with spiders. She knew it was incredibly girly and childish but spiders of any kind sent her into screaming hysterics. She didn't want Lash to see her freak out but she could not bring herself to reach up and simply brush the arachnid away. She looked down and had to clench her jaw to keep from screaming at the sight of the inky spider slowly picking its way towards her cleavage. She backed away frantically, irrationally since Lash was not the problem the spider was, her knees hit the edge of the bed and she sat hard.

"Get it off please," she begged breathlessly. She was panicking, not caring how pathetic she looked or sounded to him, she wanted this fucking spider off her now. "Please, now, off, get it off!"

"Okay, okay, just calm down." He said moving towards her. She was still backing away steadily, until her back came to the place where the double bed met the wall. He was kneeling over her, she was cowering under him and the spider kept on trucking for that cool dark place between her breasts. She was two seconds away from squeezing out tears. "Just… hold… still…" he said quietly his fingers whispering across the swell off her chest and then she saw the spider come away squirming and struggling in a Kleenex pinched between his fingers. Then it was out the window. Relief exploded out of her and she sagged against the wall. Lash was chuckling to himself still hovering over her on his hands and knees.

'What's so funny?" he bit his lip.

"You. I've never seen you so…"

"So what?" He opened his mouth but no words were coming out, so he closed it again and leaned towards her. Her pulse raced wildly as his dark lashes lowered to veil his intense gaze and their breath mingled as his lips were a whisper from hers. His hair tickled the side of her face and their noses brushed by each other. Ell jerked her face away, Lash missed and lost his balance; she fought through the tangle of limbs to extract herself from the bed. That was too real. Half the time when he said things to purposely make her blush or to get her flustered she couldn't tell if he was screwing around or not, but that was _too real._ Lash was lying on his back laughing to himself with mirth looking self depreciative.

"Let's see the envelope." He said looking at the ceiling; he sounded punch drunk. _Let's see the envelope? _That was all he was going to say to her? He was going to pretend that nothing had just happened? Ell's head was going to explode. Two could play that game. She dug the envelope out of her bag and tossed it on the bed by his feet. They sorted through the contents again, examining more closely, Lash was fascinated with the blank Polaroid, turning it over in his hands thoughtfully, looking at it from every angle. Elliana picked through different objects, and finally came to rest with the copy of Great Expectations in her hands. She'd read almost every novel by Charles Dickens except for this one and something about its clean cover seemed to be taunting her. She opened it with that satisfying new hardcover book creak and she saw a name scrawled in the top corner.

"Lash, do you read?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I know how to read."

"I'm not asking if you can read," she said annoyed. He still wouldn't look at her. "I'm asking if you read, like as a hobby."

'Yeah," he motioned with a foot to the bookshelf. "I read them in prison to keep me occupied." Ell eased off the bed towards the shelf, the first row of books was all Dickens save for one missing space. She looked at the book in her hands; it fit snuggly into the gap, like it was home. She tossed the book to Lash who caught it swiftly. He seemed to be reading her thoughts,

"The envelope was planted," he muttered getting up too, forgetting for the moment that he was ignoring her like an ass. He flipped through it with a rapid pace. Over his arm she could see that every time his name was contained inside a word it was highlighted. She was waiting for the freak out, the panic, like he had when she had to take him back in time; but he only narrowed his eyes at it; calm and calculating like she'd never seen him before.

"What do you mean _planted?"_

"I mean placed here strategically for us to find and use unsuspectingly by individuals with nefarious intentions who wish us to believe this envelope is our intended project."

"What?"

"This envelope was put in our hands by a Super Villain."

"You think Principal Powers is a Super Villain?"

"I didn't mean put in our hands literally. What is wrong with you today?" he said looking at her like she was insane. Where had this guy come from? She had no idea who this person was in front of her. There were so many different sides to him she'd given up trying to keep track of them.

"When did you get so smart?" She muttered to herself.

"I've always been smart, you've just never cared to notice." She turned away from his burning eyes, what was in them changed so often she didn't want to look anymore. She went back to the bed, back to something else that had been bugging her. The tarot card. She hadn't bothered to look at the pictures that closely before until now, she'd looked but not seen and only now after Lash had sufficiently saved her, made some sort of pass at her, ignored her and made her feel like an idiot did her eyes open. The Lovers depicted a girl with pretty strawberry blond hair looking down at a rose while a handsome boy knelt by her side offering a bouquet; his eyes looked sad, she knew those eyes.

"You," She said holding it up. His eyes widened; those same eyes.

"Me," he replied. Something seriously fucked up was going on. "I know who made these cards," he said. Ell grabbed her jacket from the floor. They were going to get to bottom of this.


	5. Chapter 5

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain. LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own The Shins, but they are an amazing band and everyone needs to download "new slang" by them, because that song will change your life.**_

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Five

_It's a luscious mix of words and tricks  
That let us bet when you know we should fold  
On rocks I dreamt of where we'd stepped  
And the whole mess of roads we're now on. _

Hold your glass up, hold it in  
Never betray the way you've always known it is.  
One day I'll be wondering how  
I got so old just wondering how  
I never got cold wearing nothing in the snow.

_-The Shins_

"I think we're going the wrong way," Lash heard Elliana mumble from behind him for the fifth time. He kept walking partly to act like a jerk and partly because she was right and he didn't want to admit it. How did she know if they were going the right way or not anyway? She didn't even know where the place was. He shivered, thinking that he should have brought a jacket, it was November after all; but retrieving a jacket would have resulted in round two with his mother in front of Ell, and he didn't want her to see that. "We have definitely seen this street sign already," She piped up at his back.

"I know," he grumbled, "Just let me think a minute." Thinking had been a challenge since he'd seen her windswept and scared on his doorstep. The moment their eyes met and he realized that she was there, in the clutches of his mother, to see him; his brain had stalled. He turned to see her snuggled into her black winter jacket complete with knitted rainbow mittens, scarf and a hat with a pom pom. Lash scowled but only because she looked so ridiculously cute that it was driving him crazy. He had tried hating her, he'd tried getting her to hate him, nothing was working, she just kept coming back and he couldn't get away from her, not at school, not at home, not in his dreams; especially not in his dreams. He could not think rationally in her presence, and despite what everyone thought of him, Lash was a rational guy. She was killing him slowly from the inside out and he couldn't help but like it.

"Why are you glaring at me like that?" She asked with mistrust. She'd been edgy since he'd tried – and failed – to kiss her. That was another moment when commonsense seemed to have utterly failed him. The panic on her face had taken him by complete surprise. Elliana was always calm, always together, always guarded. He could never get a rise out of her, she never opened up to him, not that he could blame her; he was acting like a jackass for that reason alone: to keep her at arms reach. However in that moment when the spider crawled along her chest Ell's face had been naked. No walls, no sarcasm, no glares, she was just there, she was real, and Lash had wanted her. He shook his head trying to get the memory out of his mind. This was exactly why he worked so hard to alienate her, to keep things like this from happening.

"Because your scarf is dumb." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're just jealous because you're freezing and I'm not." Okay, she had a point. They turned the same corner they had 15 minutes ago and a cold wind hit him like ice down his back.

"I'm not cold," he muttered.

"Oh give it up. Here…" she held out the scarf and her mittens.

"I'm not wearing your fucking gay pride –" She nearly strangled him with it as she wrapped the scarf around his neck and knocked the wind out of him when she shoved the mitts into his stomach. The wool smelled like her, sweet and a little tangy like strawberry kiwi smoothies. It took physical restraint to not bury his nose into it.

"Is this the place?" She asked stopping abruptly. He looked grimly at the display window. This was the place. Madame Gisele's Fortune House. The windows were draped heavily with thick purple velvet curtains, pulled tightly closed. The creaking wooden sign featured the name spangled with luminous silver stars and crystal ball. Before he could say anything the door was pulled open. Elliana jumped back, half into him by accident as Madame Gisele emerged from her shop. She looked exactly as he remembered her; all the features of her face exaggeratedly sharp, her eyebrows bushy, making her look like an overgrown bird of prey. Her glossy black hair was pulled up under a gossamer golden shawl and she wore three sets of glittering gold hoops in her ears. The twinkle in her obsidian eyes told him she knew something he didn't.

"You're late," Her thick Russian accent caused her low gravelly voice to be in a perpetual purr. In short, Madame Gisele was a walking cliché.

"Wrong turn," Elliana mumbled looking stunned.

"Oh please, Gisele is a fraud. She didn't know we were coming." Lash said dryly, trying very hard not to roll his eyes. Every girl he'd ever known bought into this bullshit. Madame Gisele gave Ell a wink like they were sharing a secret and beckoned them inside.

The scent of sandalwood incense was overpowering as they made their way into the one room shop lit by the dancing glow of a hundred candles. This place always reminded him of the store in the movie _The Craft_ only with fewer objects for sale and more space for Madame Gisele's particular brand of fortune telling. It was cold, dim, and the shelves at the back of the room were packed with objects he'd never seen before or if he had he could find no practical use for. The round card table set up in the far corner of the room was draped in a black shiny fabric that didn't quite cover the fold out legs. In the opposite corner a large section of the room was cut off from view by a series of oriental folding screens. Unfortunately the Fortune House was minus one crystal ball, apparently those were actually fake; who would have thought.

Ell seemed to have forgotten that they were there for a reason and went immediately to the shelves to poke around, like all women did; he could remember Caitlyn doing the same thing the first time they'd stumbled into the shop.

"Jake you look very… festive." Madame Gisele said taking in his appearance.

"Don't call me that."

"Oh sorry, _Lash._" She rolled out his name like it was a bad word. That was just fine with him along with the mutual feeling of contempt. "So you're here about the card?" She motioned for him to sit across from her at the folding table.

"Yeah, who did you give it to?" As he settled into his chair she seemed to produce a tarot deck from seemingly nowhere, shuffling faster than the eye could follow with slender nimble fingers.

"Would you like to cut?" She asked coyly, one skinny eyebrow arched, offering them to him like a proposition.

"Can we not do this," he said nervously. His apprehension wasn't unfounded. The last person he'd seen cut the deck had ended up dead. The cards were in the grip of her long purple nails that looked more like talons. "Just tell me who you gave it to so we can leave." Elliana had wandered into the chair next to him, looking at the cards with great interest.

"Why was Lash on the cards?" She asked producing the card in question out of her bag. Madame Gisele took it gently, a smile curving her lips as she studied the faces.

"This was my favorite deck. I made them," She explained to Ell. "The cards have more magic when you craft them yourself. And he has such a pretty face, don't you think?" She asked gripping his chin. He jerked his head out of her grasp. The thought of those nails on him made his skin crawl.

"You modeled for her?" Ell's surprise was evident.

"It wasn't my idea," he muttered. A long purple talon tapped the other face on the card, a face he'd thought about everyday since he was imprisoned, yet somehow Elliana made him forget; Caitlyn. Regret runs deep, despair even deeper, but those emotions didn't even begin to describe how he felt when he thought of her. There was a question in Elliana's accusatory stare, he chose to ignore it.

"Have you ever noticed that here the lovers don't look at each other?" Gisele asked her words sliding silkily around them; combined with the incense he was starting to get dizzy. He hated this place. "In traditional art, they embrace, they caress, they stare deeply into each other's eyes. Not you two, she wasn't meant for you."

"Good call," Lash said dryly. "We are getting away from the subject at hand. The card?"

"I didn't give it to anybody. The whole deck is missing." She said with a causal shrug of her shoulders. She wasn't meeting his eyes anymore.

"What do you mean missing? Like someone broke in and took it?"

"Something like that," She offered the deck to Ell, "Would you like to cut?" She reached for the deck with hesitant fingers. Lash wanted to grab her wrist, to snatch her hand away but he could only watch with horror as she took the top card and turned it over.

Death.

Elliana dropped the card with horror; Lash dug his fingers hard into the arms of the chair to keep from reacting. Madame Gisele could only laugh.

"Everyone reacts that way when they pull the death card, but do not worry. Death is not literal; it symbolizes a change underway, so important and miraculous that it will change your entire world. Death is to be celebrated, you are about to move to a new realm of being. Welcome to the new world." That was when he saw it in the mirror. The large silver antique mirror that hung at the back wall between two shelved, adorned with moons and suns and shooting stars, usually reflected the table but for one instant, almost too fast for him to catch, the surface rippled and clouded like a storm on the horizon. He gaped at it. Ell seemed to have seen it too since she had stood so suddenly from her chair that it clattered backwards. What the hell was that? Lash stood slowly, afraid that if he moved too fast something would burst from the mirror and attack them, but the reflection did not ripple again.

"I think it's time for us to go." He said pulling Ell insistently towards the door. She didn't want to be dragged away, in fact she seemed rooted to the spot.

"Come back soon kids," Madame Gisele called after them with a wave of her long purple talons, the door chimed loudly as Lash hurried out the door with Elliana in tow. The cool night air hit them and for the first time since they'd walked into the store his head felt clear.

"Did you see the mirror?" She gasped, turning on the spot like anything could be behind her.

"Yea, I wish I hadn't."

"What was that?"

"No idea," He hadn't realized that they were both breathing hard, gulping in the air like they'd run a marathon. A piece of paper caught in the wind plastered itself against his shirt; he plucked it off with annoyance and looked at it. _Still think I'm an old fraud? _The words were scrawled in spiky ornate hand writing. He tossed it away like the spider Elliana had wanted so desperately off her body. "Let's get the hell out of here."

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Elliana closed her front door and sagged against it, exhausted. It felt good to have something solid between her and Lash who'd insisted on walking her all the way home. She was feeling crushed by the revelations of the evening. A Super Villain or perhaps more than one was plotting against them, Lash had made some sort of pass at her and she didn't even want to think about what had happened in Madame Gisele's Fortune House. None of this felt real.

"Where have you been?" Her mother was at her back, she sounded furious. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I'm sorry…"

"I don't want you out gallivanting with that boy!" Andromeda shouted forcing Ell to turn and look at her. "Do you hear me?"

"Gallivanting?" Ell challenged, "Is that what you think I've been doing?"

"Don't you yell at me, I'm yelling at you!" Ell didn't have the capacity to deal with this, too much had happened today, and kept happening. "Ell the boy is a criminal, who knows what he's capable of. You're only 17 I'm only trying to protect you." Ell felt her face flush with anger.

"And just what do you think he is doing to 17 year old me? He's not a Villain anymore!"

"Oh, once a Villain always a Villain Elliana!"

"Stop trying to make this about Dad!" If Ell's face was red, Andromeda's had gone purple with seething rage. She lifted a hand sharply like she was going to hit her but stopped herself, Elliana shrank back; she'd gone to far that time.

"How dare you…" Elliana whirled and dashed up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door hard enough to shake the house. She didn't know why she was protecting Lash when she wasn't even sure herself that he'd given up his old ways; in fact all evidence pointed to the contrary. She flopped on her bed fully clothed and listened to her mom stomping around downstairs like a child throwing a temper tantrum. She wanted to turn off her brain, but that would be impossible after today, there were too many things to think about. She curled into a ball burying her face into her knees trying to get the feeling of Lash's warm breath on her lips out of her mind.

A pebble tapped her window. If that was him she was going to kill something. She was too tired for this, but she pulled herself up anyways, to the windowsill. Fear washed over her when she saw who was down there; it wasn't Lash. Gwen Grayson stood in the darkness on the street outside in a puddle, another pebble in hand, a smile on her full lips. The Advil, the dog collar, _Royal Pain_; God Elliana felt like an idiot. Gwen tossed the pebble in the air a few times, looking nonchalant; her eyes never left the window.

Panic rose up like bile in her throat; she was pressed against the window, transfixed by what she saw. This wasn't possible. One hand groped on her bedside table for the phone, she wasn't even sure who she was going to call but she needed to call someone, anyone. Gwen lifted one pale ghostly hand and waved looking like some macabre puppet in a twisted show. Then she melted into the ground like she'd never existed just as Elliana's hand rested on the phone. Only the pebble remained in the middle of the road, resting in the center of the puddle that looked like an oil slick in the night. She backed away from the window until she found the edge of her bed, gripping the portable phone like a weapon, feeling her racing heart in her throat. It was funny how the feeling was exactly the same feeling she got when lash was in close proximity. Maybe she was afraid of him, or maybe fear and lust weren't so different from each other in origins. One thing was for sure, Elliana wouldn't sleep that night. She didn't see the mirror ripple behind her as she guarded the window long into the night.


	6. Chapter 6

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain? Rated M for later chapters. LashXOC_**

**_Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks_**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Three Days Grace.**_

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Six

_So what if you can see the darkest side of me?  
No one will ever change this animal I have become  
Help me believe it's not the real me_

_-Three Days Grace_

Monday morning Elliana and her mother sat at the table not speaking. It had gone like this all weekend. Andromeda stirred her oatmeal with great hostility, staring ferociously at the morning paper but not really reading it. Elliana didn't eat; she never could the morning before her monthly obligatory visit to her father. The tension was hyped between them for just this reason, Andromeda didn't like Ell visiting him, but she couldn't stop her and they both knew it.

"You look tired," Andromeda said tersely. That was an understatement. Ell had been awake since Friday night when Gwen Grayson had made a cameo appearance on her street, she was afraid to go to sleep, afraid to even close her eyes for more than a few seconds since she realized the Super Villain baiting her and Lash was Royal Pain. A phone call to Warren Saturday morning had assured her that Gwen was still in her cell where she belonged, which meant something definitely wasn't adding up. Until she knew what the x-factor was she planned on downing dangerous amounts of coffee and no-doze to avoid awaking to any unpleasant surprises leaning over her menacingly at two in the morning.

"And your jacket is wrinkled, come here." Ell relented to her mother's fussing, straightening the collar of her white shirt, smoothing the wrinkles in her blazer, straightening her skirt and complaining about how it showed far too much leg to be appropriate; as if there was a dress code for visiting prison. She'd managed to tame the fiery mass of curl that was her hair into a somewhat reasonable ponytail, put her contacts in, actually applied makeup for the first time since last visit, unfortunately there was nothing to be done about the glove, it had to stay. All this just to please her father who didn't even know she was there half the time. A knock at the door signified the arrival of her escort and Andromeda huffed something about getting ready for school and barreled away into the living room.

"Hi James," she said warily pulling open the door to reveal the grinning freckled face of her Teleporter. James was always too excited to get going, and Ell too reluctant.

"You look nice today," He said with a big smile, sometimes Ell wondered if that grin was stuck like that permanently. James was only a year older than Warren, enjoyed bug collecting, long walks through the video game store and snorkels (not snorkeling, just snorkels for some reason). He was a nice enough guy but sometimes the intensity with which he greeted her all the time gave her a headache.

"Thanks," She muttered pulling the front door closed behind her. He offered her his arm and she took it, holding tight without having to be told; she knew the drill. Teleporting was a lot like time travel only more abrupt. One instant they were standing on her front porch and the next she was on her ass feeling like she'd been on a boat being tossed around by a hurricane for six months. The bleached gravel under her pricked at her hands as she pushed herself up without assistance; she could always handle the going but never the arriving for some reason.

Elliana turned and took in the MSFSCI, also known as the Maximum Security Facility for the Super Criminally Insane, and instantly felt depressed. It had to be the most depressing building on the face of the earth. A perfectly symmetrical cube, the MSFSCI was carved seamlessly from chalky white stone that seemed to hum with its own energy. The stone, Caiolinite, repelled superpowers and was used in all sorts of useful inventions, for example, the detention room at Sky High, and made this the most secure facility possible to house Villains. James had teleported them as close as he could manage before the fallout from the powerful substance disabled his powers. Ell didn't mind the walk; it gave her a chance to prepare herself, to gather her calm before facing her father.

Some days, like today, the walk did not seem nearly long enough. Before she knew it she was being handed off from James to Warren, who didn't smile at her as they passed through eight sets of check points. This was the same facility that housed Barron Battle, Royal Pain, Dr. Helter Skelter and other infamous Villains.

"You look nice," Warren said quietly, not in the same eager way that James did, nothing about Warren was ever eager, he said it like a friend would, she was glad he was here. "I don't know about the shoes though, they might be a little much, I can't let you wear them in the room." Ell looked down at her feet with mild surprise. She'd been so numb while dressing this morning that her hand had skipped right past the flats she usually wore on visitation day and had chosen for her a pair of inky black stilettos. She couldn't even remember buying this pair of shoes let alone ever wearing them.

"Why not?" she asked weakly; this is what happened when you didn't sleep all weekend.

"They could be used as a weapon…"

"Death my spiked heel," She mused handing over her shoes at the last checkpoint. "How is he today?"

"Coherent," Warren said with a grimace, "He has been for a few days, he's been asking for you. He could go any day now though." Most of the people here, though utterly evil were not actually insane. Unlike them, Ian Vermillion was actually stark raving mad. On a good day he was alert, pleasant, and even polite. He was her father as she could remember him. On a bad day… on a bad day Elliana could hardly stand to look at him and usually he had to be restrained.

She walked through corridor barefoot sticking close to Warren as the prisoners cat called, threw things, propositioned her, cried, wailed, begged, yelled, spat and rattled the bars angrily. She hated the walk. Irrationally she tried to mentally place Lash in one of these cells, she couldn't picture him in this place. The last cell on the right contained a familiar face, Speed.

"Hey pretty lady," he said pressing his face to the bars licking his lips. Her insides seized up with horror. Warren forced her forward through the door at last, but she couldn't get the sight of Speed out of her head. _Be tough, _she tried to tell herself; _you do this every month, seeing someone you know doesn't change anything._ They were in an antechamber before the visitation room, on huge hulking mass of a guard stood stonily by the door, nodding at her as she left Warred and went through to her father.

He sat at the wide steel table that was bolted to the floor, wrists shackled by large chains to heavy iron rings in the floor. He could stand up and move his arms but he couldn't come towards her and he couldn't reach for her. His pale face had large angry red welts on both cheeks, like he'd been clawing at his face, his eyes were bloodshot. They were turquoise just like hers. They shared the same symmetrical nose, the same smile; he had a mess of curls the colour of a solar flare. His nose was broken; his smile had gone the way of the mad hatter's tea party, his hair was matted with blood. His face was no longer her face.

She sat in the other chair, back a few feet from the table, also bolted to the ground, it was uncomfortable but it was something. He smiled at her.

"Hello chickpea,"

"Hello Dad," his hands were folded in his lap, nails bitten down to nothing along with the skin around them.

"Come give me a hug,"

"I can't Dad,"

"Oh, yes, right," He looked at her shyly. "You look so grown up." Elliana felt her lower lip tremble. She hated this. She wanted to hate him, but she couldn't. "How is your mother?"

"Angry," Ell supplied looking down at her toes. He laughed, the deep rumble of it was comforting, it reminded her of her earliest memories of him, giving her an airplane, laughing, happy, sane.

"Yes, that does sound like her. Are you doing well in school?"

"I guess…" She looked up at him to see him frowning at something, the glove. She'd forgotten that she could take it off inside the prison. God she was stupid. He was looking at his own hands now with curiosity. Sometimes he forgot that he had powers, Ell's powers, and reminding him well that was … dangerous. She tried to move her left hand out of sight but it was too late, realization was dawning on his face.

"Where…?" He was rubbing his hands on his cheeks, eyes starting to cloud over, shaking his head from side to side vigorously, muttering nonsense words.

"Dad! Stop it!"

"I wish I wish I were a fish…" He was rocking back and forth, muttering in a singsong voice like a child, seemingly oblivious to her presence.

"_Dad!_" She could feel tears on her cheeks. He was scratching at his left arm, tearing at it with his mangled nails, with his teeth.  
"I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT…" He cried over and over again. She half rose from the chair, where was the big burly guard, he was supposed to be watching, to stop him if he started doing this. "I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT…" His voice rose to the point of hysterics, flailing frantically like invisible rats were running up his arm towards his face, clawing at them, clawing his face, screaming the same three words over and over.

"Dad!" She screamed trying to get his attention, out of the chair now and slamming her hands down on the table in front of him, "Please stop this!" His hands shot out and seized her wrists; scraping them raw. His pupils were dilated fully as he stared into her face, laughing now, cackling.

"Together we could be the most powerful Super beings on the planet, you just need the key, all you need it the key, the key, key, key, key, key, bring me the key..." She tried to pull out of his grasp but he was so strong, he was dragging her over the table towards him. Where the hell was the guard?

"Let me go Dad," she sobbed.

"You stupid bitch!" he screamed at her, spittle flying, "All I ask if for you to do one simple thing for you dad, just one thing, and you can't even do that. I love you so much but you just shit all over it all the time, just bring me what I ask. _I DO IT ALL FOR YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL BITCH!_" The door burst open behind her and she was being dragged backwards, her dad being tazered by the beefy security guard. Warren was pulling he back. Her dad was writhing and twitching on the ground.

"I want to go now please," she said quietly. Her dad started howling like an injured coyote. Warren led her away, back down the corridor. Speed yelled something at her as they passed him but it was lost in the rest of the swirling chaos.


	7. Chapter 7

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain? LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Johnny Cash. **_

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Seven

_Love is a burning thing  
and it makes a fiery ring  
bound by wild desire  
I fell in to a ring of fire...  
I fell in to a burning ring of fire  
I went down, down, down  
and the flames went higher  
And it burns, burns, burns  
the ring of fire_

_-Johnny Cash_

When James finally deposited Elliana at school Lash was waiting on the steps looking cranky and tired. Evidently Ell wasn't the only one who didn't get much sleep over the weekend. She pulled herself off the cement, smoothing her skirt and adjusting her bandaged wrist while Lash stalked over. Oooh he was not in a good mood.

"Where the hell have you been?" He snarled crossing his stripped arms over his chest. She noticed that he wasn't putting a whole lot of weight on his right leg and he had a shallow gash across his forehead.

"Good morning to you too, what happened to your face?"

"What happened to your wrist?" He retorted, "You look like you've been crying." For a moment he actually managed to look concerned before it was covered up with disdain.

"Don't worry about it," she said trying to hide her injured wrist behind her. "What about your leg? What happened to it?"

"Don't worry about it," He replied snottily. Oh fantastic, this day was getting better and better. "Why are you dressed like that?" Suddenly Ell was very conscious about just how high on her thigh the hem of her skirt sat, but he was still looking at her face and not at her body which made her relax a bit; not that Lash would ever be looking at her body anyway.

"Are we going to stand here and play 20 questions all day? Why aren't you in class?" She asked leading him towards the school feeling flustered while digging around in her bag for her schedule. She couldn't remember what they had second period today.

"I'm not going to go if I don't have too," He lied; Ell knew he waited because he was worried about her in his own twisted way. She wanted to bring up her revelations about Royal Pain but sensed that this might not be the best time. They both had things they weren't telling each other and no one seemed ready to reveal their secrets just yet. She gave up on the schedule.

"What do we have next?"

"P.E." he said with a smirk, "it will be worth it to watch you try and run in those shoes." Damn these heels, they were causing her a lot of unintended grief today. When she got home they were going right to the back of the closet where they belonged.

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"Five! Four! Three! Two! _One!" _The whole school counted down eagerly watching the citizen descend toward its certain doom when Will made a spectacular save just as the buzzer sounded. She felt her friends cheering around her and longed for nothing more than to be able to share their enthusiasm but the visit to her father that morning had left her emotionally drained and numb; Lash hadn't helped, trying to drag information out of her all the way to the change rooms. She wished their gym clothes had sleeves, it was only paranoia but she was sure everyone was staring at her glove; some of the freshmen actually were. Layla slung her arm around Ell's shoulders and squeezed, trying to elicit a smile from her.

"Stronghold, Fuller, pick your next victims." Coach Boomer said looking at his clipboard. Magenta rolled her eyes, causing Layla to giggle. So far those two had been undefeated and everyone knew it was just because of Will. He looked into the stands and waved at them causing Ell's heart to leap until she remembered that it was most likely Layla he was waving at. Allison's eyes sweep the gym determinedly and she immediately said,

"Lash! And his partner," Ell groaned putting her face in her hands. Since she had to go anywhere he went she had to play by default. And his partner? Did she not even have name? She was going to make Allison regret this. Every year it seemed someone usually made the mistake of picking her as a joke for Save the Citizen, until they remembered what her powers did, and then it wasn't so funny.

'Go get 'em girl!" She heard Zach yell as she pulled the body armor on. Lash was looking as doubtful about this as she felt. Luckily for them Allison's power was fairly useless in the gym, there were no animals for her to control so they were pretty evenly matched since Elliana couldn't really do anything either.

"Lash, Vermillion, You're the Villains," Boomer actually looked a little excited about this one, "This should be good." Will was looking at her apologetically, Allison had on a fairly vicious smile. What had she done to this girl to deserve her well aimed malice? She was waiting for the buzzer but it wasn't coming and that was when she realized that the whole gym was staring at her; not her and Lash, just her. "You're going to have to lose the glove," Boomer said as quietly as he could manage, which in reality was pretty much broadcasting to the whole gym.

"But..." She felt a cold thread of fear. They'd never made her take it off before. They let her use her powers at her own discretion, knowing that she could seriously injure someone, Boomer's gaze was unwavering.

"Come on Vermillion, you've been here four years and I have yet to see a decent display of your powers, You can't graduate if you don't pass P.E. Lose the glove." Begrudgingly she stripped it off and heard the whole gym take a great shuddering breath in. She couldn't imagine why, it was just a hand, nothing special but both Will and Lash were looking at her with amazement, like she'd just taken her top off. Allison looked scared. Good; that was something she could deal with. She flexed her left hand, shaking out any poor circulation, causing the other girl to back up a few paces. This earned her a real smile from Lash, who was grinning like it was Christmas; she wanted to know desperately what he could be thinking that could warrant this rare privilege but as usual he was completely enigmatic.

As soon as the buzzer sounded Will took off only to be immediately plucked out of the sky by Lash. He had that under control for the time being, not that she could do much to help anyway. Allison looked uncertain of what to do. The basic options were; one, she could rush Ell and risk being grabbed by the dreaded left hand or two she could sit back and let Will do it. She seemed to make a snap decision to option one and made a break for the citizen. Ell could only get in her way and the strangest of cat-fights ensued. As angry as she was, Ell didn't really want to use her powers so she tried to keep her left hand out of the way as she grappled with the other girl. Allison seemed to see this as an advantage and pressed to Ell's left as often as she could. A hand was buried in her long red curls and yanking hard, Ell managed to get Allison's feet out from under her which brought them both down. She landed on her injured wrist causing her to wince in pain. Allison scrambled up only to trip over Ell's left hand which seemed to freeze her in terror despite the fact that Ell couldn't do anything to her through clothing. Ell was up in a flash, daring to chance a glance at the clock but not at Lash. A minute fifteen seconds to go. Allison snatched up her right wrist and bit her nails into the bandage; Ell kicked her in the shin. She knew that they were both getting fouls from Boomer but neither one of them was listening, this had become about something more than Save the Citizen although for the life of her Ell could not think of what.

"I know this is a hard concept for you," Lash shouted through gritted teeth, "But do you think you could so something, oh I don't know, useful, _now," _She turned to see Lash semi-dazed in a heap, Will had managed to break away form him; she had seconds to make a decision. Lash was the closest person with a useful power. She sprinted for him kicking Allison away from her forcefully. She reached him just as it reoccurred to Will that he could fly and he took of for the other end of the gym. He could have saved the citizen by now but he was too distracted by what Ell was doing. She grabbed Lash's face with both hands.

It was only then that they both realized that it was a big mistake. Lash was already stunned as it was and was in no way ready top brace himself for this. The whoosh was much bigger than it usually was, more like a shockwave that rippled through the gym emitting a deafeningly ominous crack as people were thrown backwards from the sheer force of it. The golden light jumped from his face and up both her arms like electricity, not with its usual grace but with a disjointed twitching crackle. Lash looked astounded, gasping with pain as his hands gripped both of hers in panic. Ell forced herself to tare her hands out of his grasp which wasn't easy; his fingers had curled around hers in a rigor mortis like grip. She yanked with all her might and finally stumbled backwards, free, taking all the shockwaves and startling energy with her as she scooted back from him frantically. He looked shell-shocked, staring straight ahead for a moment and everyone seemed to lean in, pressing all around them, waiting for him to react. An unreadable expression came over his face just before his eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped backwards unconscious. The citizen got mulched, no one noticed. The whispering started in the far left corner of the gym, spreading like wildfire through the crowd until everyone was shouting excitedly to each other, getting out of their seats trying to get a better look at what was happening. Will landed beside her looking frightened.

"Good job Ell," He said with shaky humour, "You killed him."

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They had won and Lash had regained consciousness after only a few minutes, or so he'd been told. Coach Boomer was trying to puzzle out what had gone wrong with Ell's powers. So far the running theory was that they'd reacted badly to the microchips implanted in them.

Lash didn't really care one way or the other he just wanted to get away from everyone, plus dodge the nurse who was insisting that he might be seriously hurt. He sat now in the boys change room, towel wrapped around his waist, under the fierce pounding of the showerhead trying not to think and failing miserably. The water had long ago changed from unbearably hot to icy and it was a welcome relief for his fevered skin.

He couldn't get the feeling of her powers out of his mind. It was the most horrible feeling he'd ever felt and at the same time the memory made him shiver with unexpected delight; or maybe he was just sick like that. It felt like someone had reached inside him and touched his spine with live wire, like someone was clawing and prying at his heart, trying to tare it out of his chest, like there was fire ripping through his veins trying to get to his brain. He shuddered curling his knees up into his chest, enjoying the feeling of the water beating relentlessly against his back; it had a calming effect and he was trying to ease his anger away. He felt violated, not by what Elliana took but by what she gave back, his mind had been flooded with images, jumbled thoughts and disjointed memories that were not his own and didn't belong in his head. He knew things about her that he probably shouldn't but he clung to them desperately.

He'd lost something then, a degree of control that had always been in check that he'd forced between himself and his feelings for her. He could deal with infatuation, he could push it away, ignore it, pretend it wasn't there, but he couldn't get rid of whatever this new feeling was and he certainly didn't want to deal with it. She had ruined him, everything he was, everything he thought he knew about himself gone in minutes, no, seconds even.

"Lash?" He looked up with surprise to see her face scrunched up with worry. Was he so far gone that he was hallucinating?

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Ell had been waiting outside the boys change room for forty-five minutes now, and Lash had yet to reappear. Class ended five minutes ago and everyone had filed out of the change room heading for the cafeteria giving her a barely perceptible nod or a look of fear, she ignored both as she paced on the end of her short leash. She was scared, she couldn't deny it. What happened in the gym was far from normal and the spectacle had elevated her from freak status to notoriety of the Warren Peace variety; people who'd always at least been polite to her in the past wouldn't even meet her eyes. She was afraid of how angry Lash might be.

Will was the last one out of the room, pushing back his mop of wet hair when he saw her and flashing her a grim smile.

"Is he coming out sometime today?" She'd tried to keep her tone light and impatient, but Will wasn't stupid, he could see how worried she was. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It's not looking good." He hesitated, looking back towards the door, "I tried to talk to him but I don't think he even knew I was there. He's just sitting there… staring off into space. I think he's trying to drown himself." Ell winced, feeling a stab of guilt. Will gripped her shoulders.

"You are _not_ going to feel bad about this," he insisted, shaking her gently, looking right into her eyes and she realized that she didn't have feelings for him anymore. After three years of feeling her heart pick up at the mere sight of him this sort of contact should have sent her emotions into a frenzy but all she felt was a the steady smooth beat of her heart and a hush inside her like everything was finally right. Something huge had changed in the last hour.

"Thanks Will," she said, "Maybe I'll see you at lunch." She watched him walk away feeling proud of herself, maybe this meant she was growing up, facing realities, ready to get on with life after Will Stronghold. It was time for her new grown up self to make a choice; she could wait out here all day for Lash to stop acting like a baby or she could go in there and fix this. Without giving herself a chance to change her mind she pushed the door open briskly, her heels clacking annoyingly on the tiled floor.

"Lash?" He wasn't in the immediate vicinity. All the mirrors were still partially fogged up and she could see her own blurred reflection as she moved deeper into the change room, her fingers sliding across the dewed surface of the lockers. She'd seen to many horror movies that started out this way. "Lash?" She called again, her voice considerably less confident than the first time. Will had said he was still in here and there were no windows that he could crawl out of, he had to be somewhere. She realized she'd been hearing the low steady rush of running water since she'd stepped through the door and she felt a stab of fear as she remembered what Will said: _I think he's trying to drown himself._ Ell rushed to the door to the showers, banging it open with greater urgency than she knew she was feeling and stopped short. There he was huddled beneath the spray of the furthest showerhead, completely zoned out. He looked like a lost child with his shaggy hair plastered flat against his head and his arms wrapped around his knees. Ell hadn't thought this through before she'd come running in here; he wasn't wearing anything but a white, thoroughly drenched towel. "Lash?" Her voice came out in an unsteady warble as she tried very hard to keep her eyes on his face.

He looked up at her almost dreamily, pushing soggy hair out of his eyes and a series of emotions flashed across his face in quick succession. First he looked confused, then wistful, awed, angry, and at last panicked.

"What are you _doing_ in here?" he yelped out, scooting away from her urgently only to come up short against the wall trying to pull his towel tighter. He was gaping at her scandalized, the most unguarded she'd ever seen his expression.

"I…" God, what was she doing in here? This was a big mistake, what was she thinking just barging into the boys change room? Why didn't she ever think before she acted? 'I – Will said I should be worried about you." She said lamely. Lash was bristling like an unhappy cat that was dunked in water, trying to keep the towel firmly around his hips.

"So you thought you would storm the _boys_ change room?" He asked incredulously. He wouldn't look at her face, he looked humiliated and pissed off and something else… some clouded emotion she couldn't quite place that looked all wrong on him. Oh god I should leave, she though swallowing thickly, I should just turn around and go back to the hall and wait for him out there. But her body wouldn't turn away.

"You've been in here for almost an hour…"What else could she say? I'm freaken hungry and I want you to hurry it up before it's time for lunch? I was worried that I might have killed you? His eyes seemed to drink her in, sweeping up her from her black stilettos to her red curls that were starting to frizz from all the moisture in the air, making her feel tingly in the palms of her hands and supremely uncomfortable. His eyes came to rest on her bandaged wrist.

"I'm sorry about your Dad," he said softly, randomly. Ell felt surprise ripple through her, and alarm. Will must have told him, she couldn't figure out when but that was the only way he could know. "It must be hard to live with The Vortex as your Dad." The Vortex, her fathers' lame Super Villain name. She wasn't surprised that he knew it; her Dad had a cult following of fan boy wannabes despite the fact that he was the most unsuccessful Villain in the history of Maxville. Brilliant scheme, fully capable of pulling it off, but the fact that he was completely insane seemed to interfere considerably. Ell gave a short bark of a laugh that she barely recognized.

"I've always been scared that I would end up just like him," she admitted unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice, "our power drove him insane, I'm waiting for the day that I snap too." She didn't want to cry in front of him, she didn't want to have this conversation but she could feel the tears starting to well up in her eyes. She wrenched them shut and when she opened them Lash was standing, the rushing water between them. Elliana couldn't breathe. She'd never seen him without at least three layers of clothes on, she'd never even seen his bare arms but she could see his whole upper body now. She was mildly surprised at how toned it was, at the definition in his arms and his chest, how broad his shoulders really were. The towel was slung low around his hips and she could see the beginnings of his pelvic bones peaking out. Water flowed in small rivers down his flat stomach. He didn't seem to notice her distress; he was looking down at his hands, turning them over like they weren't his own.

"I was always scared I'd end up like my old man too." He said self depreciatingly.

"Why? Was he a Villain too?" Lash laughed.

"No, no he was a Hero. He was famous, powerful, respected; he was huge right before The Commander got really popular, right until he was killed by some drunk driver one night."

"Holy shit," Elliana said, "Your dad was Elasto-Man?" He nodded grimly. Wow I totally didn't make the connection on that one, she realized. Elasto-Man, like her own father, was one of the saddest stories of the Super Powered community. Right out of Sky High this hero had the whole world worshiping him, he seemed unstoppable, he always got his man, and he always did the right thing. Until one night when he was returning home after a particularly daring arrest he was mowed down by some asshole who had three times the legal limit of alcohol in him. "What's so wrong with being a Hero?"

"It was a waste!" He said a little more viciously than he intended. He seemed to catch himself and his face softened again. "The world thinks they are indestructible, but…" She wanted to reach for him. She could see now why being a Villain was so appealing for him. It was a way to escape mortality. It seemed that the Heroes always had to die while the Villains always escaped to see another day. "So you see we aren't as different as you think."

"We _are _different Lash," She said exasperatedly. She didn't know what kind of point he was trying to make but she had to make it clear that she was nothing like him. "You've done horrible things…"

"You don't know the half of it,"

"…I could never…"

"Yes you could." He cut her off, lips curving into a crooked grin, "That's why you're so scared of becoming your father, because you know that sometimes you are. Just. Like. Him." He enunciated each word clearly, taking a step to her left. She immediately backed up to her right. "Sometimes you feel the potential for Evil inside you." She was shaking her head, backing up further as he continued to advance toward her.

"Don't talk like you know me. You don't know anything about me," she declared angrily.

"I know more than you think."

"Like what?" She asked dubiously as she came up short against the cold tiled wall. He stopped about a foot from her, far to close for comfort. She could feel adrenaline racing through her body. His mood had changed lightning quick, as usual, and she didn't know exactly who or what she was dealing with right now, but her heart was hammering in her chest (out of fear she kept trying to tell herself) and she was breathing hard.

"Like your middle name is Celeste, your mom never let you have a puppy, when you were thirteen you shaved your head as an act of protest against the whole Hero-Sidekick dichotomy. When it thunderstorms you like to stand in the rain and watch the lightning…" He wasn't speaking with malice, just slow steady confidence that all his words were true. Ell felt dumbstruck. He just couldn't know these things, but he kept saying them. "You still watch Saturday morning cartoons. Sometimes you wish that you didn't have any powers because when you were five you accidentally killed someone with them. Every time you listen to the Beatles you cry, whether it's a happy song or a sad song because they all remind you of your Dad; sometimes you put on Abbey Road and cry for hours when you're feeling hopeless. You hate your eyes because you think they make you look stupid. You have a sketch book under your bed; you hide it from your Mom because drawing was something your Dad used to do; you've drawn me a few times."

He couldn't, _couldn't_ know any of this. Her friends didn't even know some of this. He was even closer now, his bare chest brushing against her blouse, his lips whispered past her jaw as they made their way to her ear to whisper, "And if you were really as innocent as you claim to be, you'd be telling me you want me to stop," His lips tickled her ear and one of his hands had slid all the way up her skirt to her hip; she was shivering uncontrollably.

"I want you to stop," her voice shook from the tiny intense tremors running up and down her body.

"Liar…" The first kiss was electric; there was no other word for it. There was too much intensity between them, too much tension. The moment he pressed his lips against hers what little control Lash seemed to have snapped and he pressed his body flush against hers, pinning her to the wall, kissing her voraciously. Her fingers were tangled in his sodden hair without her knowing how they'd gotten there, his hands, well, they were everywhere. She was terrified. Terrified at this desperate needful thing that seemed to have taken over her body, terrified by every gasp and moan and whispered name and terrified at how completely Lash seemed to have lost it. She was dizzy as their lips clashed together hungrily, recklessly; every movement they made seemingly violent. She felt herself digging her nails into his shoulders; he grabbed the hem of her skirt and roughly pushed it up around her hips, nipping his way down her neck.

"Stop…" She managed to gasp out. He froze with his hands trailing up the inside of her thighs. Too much too fast. She pushed him away a little harder than she intended to, pulling her skirt down with as much dignity as she could muster. They were both panting. His eyes were dark and unreadable but he backed up respectfully. She didn't want to think about what just happened, what they might have done. She couldn't think she was numb with shock.

"Ell…" He started his voice still low and husky. No she couldn't do this right now. She could not deal with this today. She whirled and ran out of the showers, out of the change room and into the blissfully cool air of the hallway. It was about as far away as she could get but it was enough. Inside there had seemed like a whole different world where anything impossible was the norm. She trudged to the girls change room since her clothes were now soaked in every place he touched her feeling worn out. She just wanted to shut down for the rest of the day. She didn't want to have to think or feel or experience anything more. If one more unexpected event occurred today it would fry her circuits permanently.


	8. Chapter 8

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain? LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own the Fray.**_

_**To all my loyal reviewers, I'm sorry this chapter took me so long dodges things thrown at her I promise that the gap between chapters 8 and 9 will be smaller, although I can't guarantee a time frame; my life has been turned upside-down lately. I hope you all will stay with me to the end and thank you for all the encouragement. xoxo**_

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Eight

_It's always have and never hold  
You've begun to feel like home  
What's mine is yours to leave or take  
What's mine is yours to make your own_

_-The Fray_

"Okay," Allison said with far too much enthusiasm, "Ideas for Winter Formal? Anyone?" She looked around expectantly at the table full of committee members most of whom looked bored to tears. Elliana couldn't remember why she was even here let alone why they were having this meeting in the middle of lunch. This day wasn't even half over yet and she was already in the seventh circle of hell.

"Why are we here again?" Magenta asked leaning over to stage whisper in her ear.

"For Will," Ell said dryly, "We are here to support Will because his psycho pep squad partner managed to rope him into this lunacy."

"Why can't Layla be here for Will so we can enjoy a psycho-free lunch hour?"

"Because Layla is running the green peace meetings during these meetings," Ell reminded her pushing her mexi-fries around on her plate. Will looked horrendously bored and comically alarmed at the same time as Allison prodded him for ideas. Ell felt a stab of sympathy for him but that was as far as her heart could reach out since she was too focused on her own problems. Her problem was named Lash, he was sitting one table behind her with his usual gaggle of Junior and Senior girls and he was glaring a gaping hole into the back of her skull. She heard the low smooth sound of his voice, though not the words he was saying, and the outburst of outrageous giggling that followed made her slink lower in her seat; she had the sinking suspicion they were talking about her. She wanted to die.

They were decidedly ignoring each other. When he'd stepped out of the change room he hadn't said a word to her; he wouldn't even look at her. Ell had jimmied Layla's locker open and borrowed a sweater to replace her now see-through blouse. They stood awkwardly for a moment, Lash with his damp hair falling in his eyes as he looked at his shoes, Ell trying to think of something to say that wouldn't start an argument. Despite the fact that Lash was obviously mad at her and she was obviously completely confused the tension was still there between them, she could feel it. She could still feel it now as she pretended to be interested in the Winter Formal. On one hand she wanted to stab him in the eye with her fork but on the other she wanted desperately to feel his hands on her again and that's what scared her.

"God what happened between you guys?" Magenta muttered glancing over her shoulder at him. "He looks really pissed off."

"What makes you think anything happened?" Ell tried to sound nonchalant but there was no point in even trying to deny it; the evidence was in her bruised lips and the blood under her fingernails. Another bout of giggling caused her to snarl.

"Are you kidding?" Magenta asked hiking an eyebrow at her. "The sexual tension is so thick I could butter it on my toast." If there was one good thing about Magenta it was that she always got straight to the point.

"Nothing happened." Ell insisted.

"You have bite marks on your neck." Magenta said bluntly. Ell clamped a hand over her neck in horror, looking around frantically wondering if anyone else had noticed. Magenta laughed. "Yea that reaction definitely means nothing happened." She said sarcastically. Oh god, he branded her. She chanced a glance over her shoulder to see that he had vacated the table containing his fan club. She sat up in alarm; where the hell was he then? He couldn't have gotten far.

"How about Midnight Masquerade?" The voice came from directly behind her; the tone was cocky and unflappable, causing Elliana to jump and all the little hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She could feel his solid presence at her back.

"Oh that's perfect!" Allison squealed, "Thanks Lash!"  
"No problem," He replied squeezing his lanky frame between Ell and Magenta. She physically recoiled from the sight of him so close. "Just so you know I _can_ hear you," He hissed savagely, smacking his tray down next to hers. "If you want to gossip about me to your little friends you might want to do it in a more discrete place, not one where the _whole _cafeteria can listen in." His eyes were snapping, bright patches of colour high on his cheek bones; Ell had the urge to jump him, she ignored that particular impulse and returned his gaze with equal venom. Magenta opened her mouth to say something and he silenced her with a glare.

"We aren't _gossiping _about you, you self-centered egomaniacal jackass." She hissed back. If anyone should be angry it should be her. He was the one who kept pouncing on her without any warning and never explaining afterwards. Was she just a game to him? Did he think he could just do whatever he liked with her like she didn't have feelings? He was bristling, lips drawn back from his teeth in a twisted grimace; Elliana had never seen him so mad.

"Maybe if you talked to me about this instead of _everyone else_ you'd have an explanation," He growled as if he was reading her mind, "but _no_, you keep running away. That's what you do isn't it? You just run away from everyone and everything that might cause a ripple in your boring existence. You hide from them, you hide from your Dad, you hide from your feelings from Will…" His voice had escalated to the point of shouting at her and everyone had stopped to listen including Will. Something dangerous flashed through Lash's eyes, something that told her she was playing with fire, that made her believe he was capable of very bad things; it was there and gone before she could even register it's existence, like a cold wind across her bare skin.

"Don't you talk like you know me…"

"We played this game already or did you forget?"

"Well maybe if you gave me some warning before you try to stick your tongue down my throat I wouldn't keep running away!" She screamed back at him feeling mortified. They were standing now hurling their words like weapons though Ell had no memory of getting up. She was blind rage.

"Don't pretend you didn't want it." He was pure arrogance, lips curling up into a delicious smirk. He advanced on her a step, this time she stood her ground shaking internally as she ended up face to face with the smooth hollow of his throat.

"Believe me, I didn't-"

"Guys…" She heard Will behind her sounding nervous; she knew what they must look like, standing inches apart staring each other down, Lash glowering down at her, Ell scowling up at him. Will moved to her side putting a restricting hand on Lash's chest with a warning look on his face.

"Stay out of this Stronghold," Lash chewed out, shoving the hand aside "Now is not the time for you to decide to save the day,"

"Leave him alone," Ell shouted at Lash, Will tried to get in between them and then chaos ensued. Lash threw the first punch, an impressive right hook to the jaw that sent Will sprawling despite his super strength. Someone yelled "fight" and there was yelling and jeering all around them, students flooded from their tables to form a tight ring around them. Will was up in a flash, flexing his jaw painfully; he hurled himself at the taller boys' midsection, knocking the wind out of Lash and both of them to the ground with a crash. Ell felt her throat grow hoarse from screaming at them to stop as the grappled with each other; Will got a knee to the ribs, Lash scrambling to get the upper hand.

"Ell, do something!" Magenta yelled, her hands pressed to her face with shock from the other side of the fray. What was she supposed to do? Will picked Lash up and literally threw him to the ground hard enough to make a small crater, Lash tried to get up but couldn't, Will's foot caught him hard in the kidneys. If someone didn't do something soon Lash could die; with Will's powers that kick could have liquefied organs. Lash managed to twist at some impossible angle and kick the back of Will's left knee causing his legs to give out. They were on the ground again struggling with each other, fists flying, Lash was bleeding from the corner of his mouth, Will from his forehead.

Ell wasn't thinking, she was just moving, pulling off her glove to reach for Will's arm and praying she got his super strength. She never knew which power she would end up with when the person had more than one but she knew that flying would not help her right now. She caught his wrist as his fist drew back; everything seemed to be happening in slow motion. The familiar slow whoosh just below her hearing, the light loping gracefully up her arm, Will's grimace of pain; it all confirmed her suspicions that what happened with Lash had been abnormal and she needed to figure out why, but right now she needed to stop them from killing each other. Which power, she thought frantically as she gripped his wrist with both hands and yanking backwards, please be the right one…

To her surprise, and delight, Will fell back with her easily. His expression was bewildered as he slowly pieced together what was happening. Lash was getting up and Ell quickly moved between them.

"You need to stop now!" She screamed at both of them. They were both panting, bleeding, and glaring at each other with mutual hatred. She realized she was still gripping Will painfully hard and released him, smoothing her hands down the front of her skirt and trying to regain some calm.

The floor tilted beneath their feet with a sickening lurch, like a ship tossing on the ocean, throwing everyone to the ground with the horrible squealing noise of metal grinding against metal. Everyone was screaming, from the far side of the school they could hear Coach Boomer bellowing for everyone to remain calm. Ell was lost in the anarchy, not processing anything that was happening; she was scared and frantic, following the mob of students swirling in pandemonium. A body slammed hard against hers as all the students and everything that wasn't bolted down slid towards the wall. It was Lash; he held her fast around the waist and gripped a door frame with his free hand, trying to anchor them. This must be what it felt like to be aboard the Titanic as it sank. She gripped the front of his shirt desperately as they were almost vertical, other students clinging to things in a similar fashion, and felt a chill run up her spine as a tinkling laugh rang out through the cafeteria, louder than the chaos.

"Holy shit…" Lash whispered. He was looking at something over her their heads. She followed his gaze to the food service area which was above them now, hanging over them like threatening monolith. The thick pains of glass meant to shield the kids from the food were shining with the sunlight streaming through the windows making them almost reflective, but that wasn't what was causing his distress. It was what seemed to be moving through the reflection that caused new screams of terror to ring out. It was like a dark shape swimming through deep murky water, Ell could see it moving and knew it was dangerous, but she couldn't identify what it was. The shape moved with hurtling speed, jumping from one glassy surface to the next, to anything that might hold a reflection, the windows, shiny metal, overly polished tables, making a beeline for the jumbled pile of students.

"_NO!"_ She heard someone cry out; she didn't realize it was her. Lash jerked her head into his chest as all the windows shattered, trying to protect her face. They were sliding again, the school righting itself; the back up generators kicking in automatically. Ell felt pain bite into her leg. There was running, screaming, crying, and teachers yelling. Ell left her face buried in Lash's shirt trying to tune it all out as they lay on the floor.

"Ell, you have to look at this," He was saying shaking her, trying to get her up. "Ell…" She looked. Polaroid's, hundreds of Polaroid's fluttered down from the ceiling like snow, catching drafts from the broken windows. Lash snatched one out of the air and looked at it. His eyes narrowed and he threw a glance around the room, searching. He passed it to her wordlessly and she felt her blood run cold. It was of Magenta, taken not five minutes ago when they'd been eating lunch before Lash showed up. In the picture she was laughing and a big red X had been drawn over her face with a permanent marker. Along the bottom on the white part of the photo it read "_One down…_" in big red block letters.

"Magenta!" She shouted, trying to scramble up out of Lash's arms; she had to find Magenta.

"Ell she's not here" He said trying to pull her back down.

"No," She slapped his hand away, "She has to be here. She has to be."

"Ell –"

"She has to be!" Will was limping towards them, clutching a photo identical to the one in her hands. His eyes looked grim and when Ell opened her mouth to ask him he silenced her with a quick jerk of his head no; no Magenta wasn't here. She was gone.

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"Sit still," Lash growled at her.

"I'm trying," She said through gritted teeth as she tried to maintain whatever shred of dignity she might have left after today. Lash had her skirt up again but not for the same reason as last time, he was examining the giant shard of glass sticking out of the side of her upper thigh. Elliana wasn't the only one with injuries, the line for the nurse was unbelievably long and students were taking it upon themselves to do their own patch and go work.

"Can't we go to a hospital?" She whined.

"At the rate they are questioning people we are going to be here all night. Do you want to bleed to death?" It wasn't that serious, she knew he was just trying to scare her into letting him help. It was about the size of the palm of her hand, half of it deeply imbedded into her leg, the other half protruding with jagged edges out looking nasty. "I'm going to have to pull it out."

"NO!" She panicked, then calmer, "No, er, won't that just make it bleed more?"

"Maybe, but we can't leave it in there, you can't walk." He had a point. With careful gentle fingers he'd cleaned away the blood using the first aid kit he'd had to stretch over people to get. Now he got a safe grip of the glass and looked up at her. "Ready?"

"Wait!" She cried, "What if it breaks when you pull at it and then it's stuck in there?"

"Just try to relax okay? I'm going to count to three, be a big girl now." Ell felt him search her face; she met his eyes and the infinite patience he seemed to have conjured out of nowhere.

"Wait…" she moaned again. She knew she was being a baby but she couldn't help it. She had a very low threshold for pain. He sighed.

"Ell, do you trust me?" She wanted to laugh. Did she trust him? Good question. Lash was prone to mood swings, anger, violence, villainy, kissing her without warning, and he wanted to know if she trusted him? He had to be insane. She had to be insane because she found herself nodding, found herself trusting him. "Good. Okay, One," She curled her hands into fists, digging her nails into the palms of her hands and tried to brace herself, "Two… Three!" He pulled; she bit down on a scream as she felt the glass come clean of her leg. It was a gory sight. Lash tossed the blood soaked glass aside triumphantly and quickly worked on cleaning and bandaging the gash as painlessly as he could manage. She quickly wiped away the speckling of tears that had escaped in the brief moment of pain as she watched his forehead wrinkle with concentration.

After conducting a thorough sweep of the school the teachers confirmed that Magenta had indeed been abducted and Lash and Ell couldn't put off talking about Gwen Grayson and the Villain that had loaded their envelope any longer. They both went immediately to Principal Powers; unfortunately she was at her wits end today and was in no mood to listen to two hysterical teenagers, especially when one of them was an ex-villain. Ell recounted seeing Gwen outside her house and Lash tried to explain that Gwen kept manifesting her image in his bathroom mirror (which was the first that Ell had heard about this, but then again they hadn't really had the chance to discuss anything even remotely relevant to the project yet) but their stories were brushed off as fabrications of two kids under a lot of stress and trauma. The most frustrating thing in the world is not being listened to, not even being considered credible for two seconds. Ell felt like she was five years old again and trying to convince her mother that there was a monster in her closet. The teachers were patronizing them, humouring them, coddling them, but not one of them took their story seriously. Finally, worn out, upset, frustrated beyond belief and leaning heavily on Lash due to the pain in her leg, Elliana had let herself be led to the nurse's office only to be met with a waiting room that looked like a hospital full of war torn soldiers.

"There," Lash said smoothing another piece of medical tape over her bandage for good measure, "You should be good for now." He admired his work for a moment before tugging her skirt down to cover the wound. She was trying to think of words sufficient enough to properly thank him that wouldn't sound like an invitation. For the first time since the school year started she found herself feeling shy around him and having to check herself before she spoke. He had thrown a wall up after deciding that she would be alright and wasn't meeting her eyes; he made himself busy repacking the first aid kit while Elliana slid off the desk she'd been sitting on, wincing as she put weight on her injured leg.

"There you are," Layla had burst into the classroom they were using as their patching station with Will, Ethan and Zach in tow. Her eyes were puffy, so were Zach's, Will looked on the verge of tears and Ethan's eyes were wide with fear, "We've been looking all over for you two." Ell felt her brow furrow in confusion, _you two?_ Lash half turned looking equally confused.

"We went to talk to Principal Powers about something…" She said slowly, hobbling towards her tall willowy friend. Layla caught her under the arms and helped her.

"We know what you went to talk to her about; we're here to say we believe you. We've all seen her too." Lash dropped the first aid kit.

"You have?"

"Yea," Will said tightly, his voice was thick which meant he'd been crying recently, or was about to cry. Ell could tell nothing by his expression except that he had pure unabashed hatred for Lash, "Warren has too, there is just one problem: Gwen hasn't left her cell since the day she was put in it." They all exchanged dark looks. Whatever was going on here, they couldn't rely on the adults to help them. Whatever was going on they were going to have to learn to trust each other if they wanted to save Magenta, and if they wanted to protect each other. From the glares passing between Will and Lash trusting each other might be asking too much.


	9. Chapter 9 part a

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain. LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Gary Jules._**

_This chapter is split into two parts, here is part a, dedicated to lovestoread for without whom this story would be left for dead._

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Nine

_Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow  
No tomorrow, no tomorrow  
And I find it kind of funny  
I find it kind of sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying  
Are the best I've ever had_

_-Gary Jules_

There were few times in his life when Lash could ever remember feeling safe in his bed since his father died. There was always some unnamed villain in the closet, some monster under the bed, some terror in the darkness with no hero left to banish it. Lash would pull the covers over his head, clench his eyes tightly and hold his breath. If he held perfectly still, whatever was stalking him in the dark wouldn't get him. As he got older he realized that there was only one monster in the house and most nights she was too drunk to prowl the hallway at night, but some nights she was there lurking in his doorway. Some nights she was there hovering over his bed. Some nights she would pull back the blankets he'd flung over his head and he would will every fiber of his body to be still, will himself to hold his breath, clench his eyes shut tightly and pray she would go away. Some nights she would, and some nights she wouldn't…

He could smell her breath on his face, reeking of alcohol and cheezies and vomit. He wanted to open his mouth to avoid inhaling the smell but the smallest move would give him away. She was muttering nonsensical words and rhymes, giggling slightly whenever she found herself to be particularly clever. Shushing herself in a voice that sounded like a little girl's, his mother started drawing pictures on his stomach with her pinky finger. Still he did not move. He wanted to get sick, he wanted to curl away from her finger tracing clouds and rainbows and but if he moved she would know, she would get him.

"Jake," She slurred wetly in his ear, "Jake wake up, the boy is asleep." And with that she traced her finger down to the waistband of his pajama pants. He grabbed her wrist, there was no use pretending now.

"Stop it Mom," he said firmly. "I am not dad, I'm your son. Go to bed." He opened his eyes to see her kneeling over him, bathrobe spilling open revealing her unwashed bare skin.

"I like it when you get rough…" she shrugged off the robe and lash tried to push her away. Despite everything he did not want to hurt her. They played this game about once a week and usually Lash ended up loosing. He started to tremble with queasiness, trying in vain to push his mother away as her fingers tiptoed sneakily by his guard and under his pants.

"Mom _stop_…" She did for a minute seemingly confused. She looked at his face, leering drunkenly, blinked several times and looked again. He grabbed her harder forcefully pushing her backward off his bed and she fell sprawling head over heels.

"Fuck," Lash muttered scrambling out of bed, he hadn't meant to push her that hard, he hadn't meant for her to fall. He knew he would pay for this. "Mom?" She looked up at him from the floor angrily.

"What are you doing you little pervert?" She pushed herself up unsteadily, pulling a bottle of Jack with her that she must have rested next to his bed. It was mostly full and she brandished it at him like a weapon. "Are you peeking at me boy? Are you taking advantage of me you sick fuck?"

"_No,"_ Lash insisted, but it was no use. The first blow to the face with the bottle had him seeing stars, the second one knocking him out briefly. When he came too again his pants were off and his mother was writhing on top if him. "_Stop Please!" _

"Is this what you wanted boy? You sick little pervert?" She panted at him, grinding her hips down. He wrenched his eyes shut again and felt hot tears leak out of the corners. "Don't cry!" She barked and reached for the bottle again. The third blow hit his knee and he bit down on a yelp. He lay there limply, holding the tears in, willing himself somewhere else. No, there were no more Heroes and if there were, they didn't give a damn about him. Lash had learned that a long time ago.

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"He's not going to show," Will muttered picking ferociously at his chow mien. They'd been waiting for an hour now at the Paper Lantern for Lash and so far there was no sign of him. He'd agreed yesterday that they had to work as a team, he'd promised, and now Elliana was feeling let down. She'd actually believed for five minutes that Lash was going to come through for her. What a joke.

"We may as well start without him," Layla said apologetically, "We aren't any help to Magenta just sitting here." It was true and Ell knew it. All the adults were in a Top Secret underground meeting with the Mayor for the weekend. No one had ever abducted a student successfully from Sky High without leaving behind a shred of evidence. The Heroes were baffled and with no clue where to start their world was in a state of emergency.

"So," Ell started off hesitantly, "Royal Pain…" The apparitions they were all seeing were impossible. Royal Pain was most definitely still in prison, yet every single one of them, even Warren, had seen her. No one really seemed ready to broach this topic, in fact Zach looked like he wasn't ready to broach any topic; he still looked like he was in shock. Elliana squeezed his hand across the table and he just held on, not even looking up and not letting go.

"I saw her at night," Layla said sounding a little shaky. "I opened my eyes and she was leaning over my headboard looking at me. Except that it was all wrong… my bed is pushed up right against the wall, there was no way she could have been standing there. I screamed and turned on the lamp but when I did there was nothing there. My mom came running in and I tried to tell her, but she just said it was a nightmare."

"I saw her in the bathroom; she was there in the mirror instead of my reflection." Ethan said quietly. Each one of them recounted their story while Elliana took notes. Then they went over the envelope. The Polaroid was obvious enough, the Advil and the dog collar too.

"What about the book?" Warren asked.

"It belongs to Lash. Whoever took it highlighted his name every time it appeared in the story." Layla was playing with the Tarot Card.

"Who's the girl?" Will asked looking at it over her arm. Ell grimaced.

"That I am not quite sure of. They were both really vague about it but the way Madame Gisele was talking I think she might be Lash's ex-girlfriend."

"What does that leave us with?" Warren asked going through the objects in the center of the table.

"The baby soother, the tile, the mirror and the key." Everyone sat back in frustrated silence. Elliana knew they were getting nowhere. They only seemed to understand the clues after the fact; maybe that was the way they were intended to work.

"We are getting nowhere," Warren said through a clenched jaw, "and I have to get to work." Elliana was about to protest, but everyone else was getting up as well mumbling similar statements. Obviously they weren't going to solve this in one afternoon. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Layla's sympathetic eyes.

"Don't worry Ell, we'll find her." She just nodded but didn't want to admit that the real person she was worried about right now was Lash. She'd like to say that it wasn't like him to not show up but it would be a complete lie. In truth, it was exactly like him and she had sort of known in the back of her mind that he and Will would never be able to work together but she had expected him to at least try. Obviously she was expecting too much. Still, she was worried about him; something about his absence today felt wrong and she couldn't shake the feeling that he was somehow the key to everything that was happening.

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With deep misgivings Elliana found herself once again outside of Madame Gisele's Fortune House clutching the tarot card to her chest as the wind whipped her long curls around her in an ominous fashion. She reached for the door knob but before she could make contact the door swing inward of its own accord. She felt a stab of fear before a gentle smirk at what Lash would say if he were here right now. He wouldn't let Gisele's parlor tricks intimidate him. Stepping over the threshold felt like stepping into a new universe; the air was denser and seemed to writhe and swirl with a presence of its own. Sitting at her card table, waiting expectantly, was Madame Gisele.

"You come about the girl, yes?" She asked with her pleasant accent and a knowing smile.

"Yes," Ell replied, resigned to the fact that this woman was her only hope to getting any further in this case. She dropped down in the other chair and thrust the card toward the older woman. Long purple nails plucked it from the black velvet and for once there was no playful glint in her eye, only sadness.

"They were so young," she said with a wistful smile, "and so wrong for each other, but they would not hear it from anyone. He adored her." She put the card face down and looked at Elliana very seriously. "He was different once you know. He was happy. They were 14 and talking about running away to get eloped after they graduated. That was when I first met them. Caitlyn wanted to know if they would be happy together and he came along just to appease her. It was the first time I did a reading where there was no future. I could not see what would become of them. I thought it was me, but I had no difficulties with other customers." Gisele's lip began to quiver and Elliana felt an icy chill run up her spine.

"What happened to them?" It almost came out in a whisper. Something tragic, she was certain of it. The air in the room seemed to convulse around them.

"She became obsessed, using any means necessary to delve into the future. I tried to warn her that sometimes you regret what you see. If you push the forces that be hard enough they will push back and if you try to change your fate, well, only terrible things can come of it. Eventually she employed a Hero, a time jumper who sold her services underground because as you know it is Illegal to use for personal gain, and she saw that in high school Jake would meet another girl, someone that he was truly meant for, and he would leave her."

"What did she do?"

"She set about trying to change her fate, delving into all sorts of dark powers I dare not speak of, to find this girl and destroy her, meanwhile Jake pleaded with her to stop. She was destroying herself, her soul, and traces of the evil that had penetrated began to show on her body in the forms of mutilations. He promised her the world if she would stop hurting herself, he promised to marry her there and then if only she would stop, but she was too far gone. In the end her own mother was the one to end Caitlyn's life. She feared her daughter had gotten too powerful to control, and Sue Tenny liked to control things."

"Sue Tenny!" Elliana clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. "Are you serious! Is it even physically possible?" Madame Gisele nodded gravely.

"To this day no one knows who the father is, in fact very few know of Caitlyn Tenny's existence. All we know is that Sue's timeline put's Caitlyn's birth when Sue still attended Sky High." Elliana felt sick, all of this was just too horrible and unbelievable to digest. Lash's life had been so hard.

"Do you, um, have a photograph of her?" Ell managed, but Gisele had anticipated her, possibly before she'd even walked into the shop, and was pulling a glossy photo from within her shawls. Caitlyn Tenny had looked just like her mother.

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Later that evening it was thunder storming, perfectly fitting for the dark mood that had washed over Elliana with all she had learned. She was curled in a tight ball on the couch in her PJ's with a bowl of popcorn and a back to back Halloween marathon on T.V. Her mother would still not be home from the conference for two days and Ell knew she would probably just freak herself out with horror movies but she was stressed and she needed some sort of release. She tried calling everyone after stepping out of Madame Gisele's but they'd all been away from their phones, all probably needing similar distraction.

"Michael Myers was one freaky little kid," she muttered to herself, shoveling a handful of popcorn into her mouth and turning up the volume. Outside lightning ripped through the sky and thunder boomed so loud that the house shook a little as rain relentlessly beat against the windows. Elle jumped a little bit. Okay, so maybe horror movies were a_ really_ bad idea she thought wincing at a particularly gruesome killing as another blast of thunder rattled the clocks on the walls. She was thinking about trying Layla's cell again since she really didn't want to be alone right now when there was a hammering on her door that definitely wasn't thunder or rain. _Oh my GOD, it's Michael!!!!_ She thought irrationally as she scrambled off the couch sending her popcorn flying. She crept cautiously towards the door when an even worse thought struck her. What if it was "Gwen"? She stood half way between the couch and the door teetering undecidedly between the two when the knocking came again. She settled on calling out a half hearted "who is it?" that she was sure would not be heard over the roar of the wind.

"It's Lash! Open the fucking door it is pissing down rain!" Elliana sagged with relief and hurried to throw up the lock.

"Where the hell were you today? Paper Lantern? Noon? Did you forg-" she stopped ranting when she pulled open the door to reveal his face. Big purple bruises were splashed all across the side of his face along with a nasty cut on his temple and a split lip. "Oh my god…."

"It's not as bad as it looks I assure you," he said moving past her into the foyer. "Nice jammies,"

"What happened to you?" She demanded ignoring his comment and slamming the door; whirling to face him as he pulled his drenched black hoodie over his head.

"Nothing" She gave him an incredulous look. "It's nothing!" he insisted, "I fell."

"Sure you did. Look this is the first and last time I will admit to you that I am a huge klutz. I fall all the time and my face has never looked like that." He ignored her and dropped his wet sweater on the hardwood floor, which Elliana instantly retrieved; if she got watermarks on the floor her mom would kill her.

"First, I _know_ you are a huge klutz; thank you captain obvious and second can we drop it?"

"No! And why are you here so late? And why are you taking off your clothes?" She asked as he proceeded to pull his black and white shirt over his head and drop it on the floor.

"Because I don't want to catch pneumonia." He replied tersely. There were more bruises across his chest, some old and fading and some that looked very recent, as well as long shallow welts all down the front of him.

"_Lash!_" He sighed.

"I'm here because I have no where else to go. He pushed back the hair falling in his eyes awkwardly, spraying water everywhere and looking at the ground. "My mom, she's drunk again, which I guess isn't out of the ordinary but sometimes she gets really bad and she doesn't know what she's doing. She doesn't mean to hurt anyone, you know? It just sort of happens… She's my mom I sort of have to love her and besides sometimes I kind of have it coming with all the shit I've put her through…" He was rambling, something she'd never seen him do. For once he was at a loss of witty words and Elliana was coming to a very horrible realization.

"She does this to you?" She asked horrified.

"Like I said, she doesn't know what she's doing. She's drunk…"

"That isn't and excuse to beat your child." Lash looked away and Elliana's eyes fell on his neck, or rather the little purple discolorations almost masked by the larger bruising pattern; hickies. "Lash…" She reached for his neck but then pulled her hand away quickly; she was not wearing a glove. He seemed to realize what she was looking at and clamped a hand over his neck quickly.

"Do you have like a shirt or something I could borrow?"

"Are those…"

"Leave it!" He snarled savagely.

"But…"

"_Elliana!" _she sprang back from just the sheer volume and warning in his voice. "There are some things you don't want to know about me." She could see it in the fear on his face that she was dangerously close to some deep dark secret, as if he didn't have enough. She wasn't sure how to pose her next question, she wasn't even sure if she wanted it answered. "Aw, Ell, don't cry, I'm sorry." She hadn't even realized she was.

"Does she… force… you to…?" she couldn't finish the sentence; she needed all the air she could get to fight the gasping sobs that were currently escaping her chest.

"Please don't ask me that."

"Does she?

"Yes,"

Silence. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and Lash looked so utterly miserable and mortified that he might try to kill himself at any moment. "I can't believe I just told you that, I've never told anyone, not even my grandma." Her reached for her, trying to pull her into his arms but she moved out of his grasp.

"No glove," Ell rasped out, voice hoarse from crying.

"I am so sick of that thing," and before she could stop him, their fingers were entwined. It wasn't the same this time. Ell could still feel the powers flow into her from Lash but he wasn't in pain, he wasn't passing out, in fact he was just smiling sadly back at her.

"How are you doing this?"

"I just figured it out. Everyone always braces themselves before you touch them. They resist. If you don't fight it feels sort of good." She was crying again, but for a different reason this time. It had to be Lash that would figure this out, that would give her this gift of human contact. Stupid, pigheaded, stubborn Lash who couldn't stop bullying people for 5 seconds.

"Don't go home again we'll figure something out," her words were muffled due to the fact that she was currently burying her face in the crook of his neck, trying to get as close to him as possible.

"We? I wasn't aware there was a 'we'." He said amused.

"Shut up, there isn't."

"I'm pretty sure you just said we,"

"So what, it doesn't mean anything,"

"You claim as you are trying to enter my body through osmosis,"

"I am not,"

"You're such a liar! Are you not aware that I can actually see you? That you are in fact squeezing _me?_"

"It's all in your mind,"

"Oh really?" He replied slyly, running his fingers up her sides which made he shiver and move closer to him, "If it's all in my mind then I can control this situation,"

"I'm not sure where you're going with this,"

"Kiss me…"


	10. Chapter 9 part b Rated M

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain. LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Imogen Heap but I wish I did since Hide and Seek is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs I have ever heard. I listened to it on repeat while writing this chapter._**

_If you are under 18 I highly suggest you do not read this chapter as it is RATED M for gratuitous sex (which I am terrible at writing I apologize to everyone that reads this chapter) Don't worry it is possible to skip right to chapter 10 without missing any plot if you uncomfortable with adult situations._

I'm also sorry for the spelling mistakes, I had to get this chapter up fast if I wanted to get it done before I had to start work on my 4 massively huge projects.

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Nine Continued

_Where are we? What the hell is going on?  
The dust has only just begun to form,  
Crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling.  
Spin me round again and rub my eyes.  
This can't be happening._

_- Imogen Heap_

Lash regretted the words the second they were out of his mouth. He could feel Ell tense up against his chest and start to pull away. Wide turquoise eyes looked up at him questioningly and he shied away from their burning gaze. He wasn't even sure how they'd ended up like this; how his life had ended up like this. Elliana was a do-gooder to the point of fault, an eternal optimist, extremely stubborn and proud. He was all wrong for her; she belonged with some golden boy like Stronghold not some screwed up ex-villain. It didn't stop him from wanting her though. She was against everything he stood for and it only made him desire her more; light to his darkness or some stupid cliché like that. Lash didn't care; he didn't want to try and rationalize it or to think about all the terrible things that were happening around them or the battle of good and the evil raging inside of him, he just wanted to have this moment as a completely normal teenaged boy.

"What?" He could hear the fear in her voice and knew she was thinking about all those things he wanted to forget. She was probably running down a giant mental list of all the ways he was in fact a huge jerk; a fact he wasn't going to deny.

"Kiss me," he repeated and to his great surprise she did. Their lips met somewhere in the middle of Lash leaning down and Ell leaning up on her tiptoes, the little electric sparks running through his body from the contact of her bare left hand only proceeded to make him feel more light headed as she threaded her fingers into his hair. This kiss was nothing like the ones they'd shared in the locker room. This kiss was soft and gentle and undemanding; in a word perfect. When he finally pulled away for air Ell looked as dazed as he felt.

"See," he said rather unsteadily, "that wasn't so bad was it?" She laughed but it came out as more of a breathy gasp, they were both panting slightly.

"I don't know," she said, "I think we need to try it again." And so they did, this time their lips clashing a little more desperately, holding on to each other as if the world would wash away if they let go. She opened her mouth to him with the tiniest of moans and he deepened the kiss hungrily; She was trying to kill him, he was sure of it. He was painfully aware of her thighs pressed against his, the angles of their hips grinding into each other and her mouth, oh her mouth; he groaned causing her to giggle a little and break the kiss. It felt like the right time to say something, maybe tell her how beautiful he thought she was, or maybe something along the lines of how much he might have been falling in love with her but that wasn't really his style. Part of him wanted to tell her these things and part of him just wanted to abandon all sense of tact and pin her to the wall. In the end bad Lash won out; he usually did. Without permission her reached for the hem of her black tank top and tugged it over her head in one fluid motion, tossing it over his shoulder towards shrill screams of Jamie Lee Curtis. His lips and teeth attached themselves to her pale neck and his hands found previously undiscovered soft skin.

"Bedroom," she gasped out as his lips moved to her breast, her hands fisting in his hair as she arched into him. Lash wasn't exactly sure where that was located, logic dictated it was upstairs and that was too far for him the way he was feeling right now.

"Couch," he insisted with effort as he hoisted her up and her legs wrapped around his waist and her tongue traced his collar bone. In the end they settled for floor; the couch was just too many steps away and Lash made an executive decision that he couldn't wait anymore. He kissed and licked his way down her body, pausing to nuzzle at her belly button laughing gently as she squirmed with anticipation. He hooked his fingers under the waist of her pajama pants and pulled them down slowly revealing slender thighs and black cotton panties.

"These are sexy," he commented, dropping kisses on her inner thighs.

"Oh, well if I had known you were coming I would have put nicer ones on," she breathed sarcastically as he got closer and closer to where she wanted him to touch her most.

"You are in no position to be mean to me right now," he lazily pressed his fingers against her through the cotton barrier, trying not to moan at how wet she was and Elliana arched off the ground gracefully, hair fanned out like a goddess. Lash was losing control quickly. "In fact, I think you need to start being a lot nicer to me."

"Lash, please…" hearing his name tumble out of her lips like that made him hard to the point of pain. He moved the flimsy fabric aside and thrust two fingers deep inside her. It would be so easy to just finish her and get everything he wanted, but he remembered what she'd screamed at him in front of the whole school; she would never deny that she wanted him ever again.

"Please what?" He stilled his hand midstroke and she made a frustrated noise in the back of her throat, trying to thrust her hips upward but his other hand held her down.

"I just… please…"

"You'll have to do better than that," She glared at him and he flexed his fingers inside her causing her to cry out.

"You had better be fucking kidding right now,"

"I assure you I am not, or maybe you forgot our little confrontation yesterday where you embarrassed me in front of everyone," He saw her eyes darken with anger and she scowled at him, "So, please what?" Ell looked away from him as if struggling with herself. He was amazed she hadn't thrown him out. But when she looked back again her eyes were dark and unreadable and she muttered something under her breath mutinously.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Please fuck me," She enunciated each word clearly and defiantly looking right into his eyes.

"Okay then," and he replaced his fingers with his mouth. He flicked his tongue against her teasingly and she seemed to forget her anger for the time being. He brought his lips fully against her sucking gently and began thrusting his fingers in and out of her with skill he didn't know he had. Her fingers fisted in his hair and her hips rolled up to meet him until she was gasping incoherently. He drove her relentlessly to the edge of her sanity, until she was begging him willingly to never stop, until Lash could not contain himself anymore. He made his way back up to her mouth, kissing her feverishly as she fumbled with the button on his jeans.

"You don't wear underwear?" She asked looking slightly horrified and slightly amused at the same time. He was only half listening to her, reveling in the relief of the hellish pressure on his erection.

"I find them constricting," and with the most chaste kiss they'd ever shared, a simple brushing of lips he tried to enter her slowly; realizing she did not want to take it slow as she wrapped her legs around him, rolling her hips up to meet him. He almost came right then. He was not going to last long which was sort of embarrassing but kind of hard to control when she was so tight around him.

"Fuck," he moaned, burying his face in the soft hollow of her neck, breathing in the strawberry scent of her skin and trying impossibly to control himself as he built up some sort of disjointed rhythm. Her nails were digging into his shoulder blades, her teeth were nipping at his earlobe and all he could concentrate on was the feel of her body around him, tightening as she started to gasp out his name.

"Oh god, oh god," he wanted to agree with her but he couldn't breathe. He pounded into her harder. There was just too much of something between them; sexual tension, explosive energy, he didn't know what to call it but he had finally snapped, muttering a continuous strain of nonsense between kissing her neck. Somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped he wasn't saying anything embarrassing. She contracted around him, drawing blood with her nails and he felt his vision explode as he came painfully hard with the snap of his hips, still moving inside her as she rode out her orgasm.

When the world stopped spinning and his body stopped twitching and Lash could remember who he was, he looked down into the face below his. Elliana was flushed and breathless, eyes wide open pouring right into his, smiling hesitantly and Lash felt his breath hitch as he returned her smile.

"You look beautiful," he said dropping a kiss on her forehead; her eyelashes fluttered closed contentedly. Almost like pain but not, he dared not hope it was love. He pulled out of her slowly, almost laughing as she arched a little stifling a moan.

"I want to say something but I don't want to inflate your ego more than it already is." She mumbled as he rolled off her and pulled her into his arms.

"You don't have to say anything," he promised tucking a curl behind her ear and lavishing in the feeling of the soft rise and fall of her chest and her slowing heartbeat. He wanted to tell her that he would never leave her, that he would always protect her and so many other things but they were promises he could not keep so he closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her breathing for a long time after she'd drifted off.


	11. Chapter 10

**_When the students are paired up for a school project, Elliana Vermillion gets stuck with the most undesirable partner in school. But_** **_when the school is attacked and the students are put in he steps up to become an unlikely Hero. Elliana wants to believe that he will save them all but is there enough good in him or is it once a villain always a villain? LashXOC_**

_**Okay, this is my first Sky High fic, so if any of the characters seem OOC let me know and I will try my best to fix it. This is a LashxOC and I hope it will be entertaining. The rating will go up in later chapters so read with caution. Please R&R. Thanks**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High or any of its characters. Elliana is my own though. I also don't own Something Corporate but I wish I did.**_

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Ten

And it's been hours now to be here like this  
And just to lay you down and just to taste your lips  
And just to keep me up, God I'm tired of sleeping  
And just to lay inside you and just to know this feeling

But I won't make you

- Something Corporate

Elliana awoke to the sound of pounding on the door. She wasn't sure how long she'd been sleeping but the marathon was all the way up to Halloween H20 so it must have been quite a while. She started to get up and froze; realizing that she was not wearing any clothes and was curled into Lash's sleeping form. What happened last night came back to her in a flood of sensations and she dug her nails into her palm to keep herself from having a big loud freak out. How could she have done that? She cursed silently as the knocking came again loudly, three sharp cracks that were so hard that the wood sounded like it was splintering; his eyelashes fluttered and she prayed he wouldn't wake up. She picked her way silently and carefully back to the front hall, putting on clothes as she found them hurriedly. When she pulled open the door it was Layla and Will, both looking very upset. Layla had tears running down her cheeks and Will looked close to tears himself clenching his fists angrily and squaring his jaw. Elliana wondered dimly what time it was.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she said swiftly slipping outside and pulling the door shut behind her incase they got a good look into her living room. "Is everything okay?" Will wordlessly handed her a Polaroid and her heart sank. Warren. She felt her throat close as she looked down into photo, taken outside on the streets somewhere, she could see traffic behind him and a blurry sign but not enough to really guess the location. In the photo his mouth was set into an angry scowl and he appeared to be looking at something in the distance. Written on the bottom in angry red sharpie was a sentence she couldn't make sense of. She couldn't make sense of anything right now since the world seemed to be dropping out from beneath her feet. How could someone get the jump on Warren? He was one of the strongest heroes she knew.

Ell was engulfed by Layla's embrace and realized she's been chanting "_ohgodohgodohgodohgod…"_ out loud since she'd been passed the Polaroid. Her face was wet and she knew that she was crying and she couldn't stop, Layla sobbed harder into Ell's hair and Will looked away claiming to have something in his eye.

"Is he really… is he really..?" She couldn't form coherent words.

"Is he really gone?" Will clarified, "Yes. Apparently he never made it to work this morning." Ell closed her eyes trying to contain the tremors of fear and guilt and pain she was feeling.

"Do Ethan and Zach know?"

"Yes," Layla said thickly, pulling back and whipping her eyes on the back of her hand, "they're at Will's house now. We tried calling you but there was no answer and we got worried. I'm so glad your okay," Layla was getting worked up again and Elliana pulled her back into her arms muttering soothingly to her and stroking her hair.

"We're having another meeting," Will explained, "We have another case to work with now so it wouldn't hurt to go over it all again…" Will trailed off from whatever he was going to say next and looked over Ell's shoulder with an expression of pure horror; Layla clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a startled scream. Elliana shut her eyes knowing what was behind her. Fuck fuck fuck.

"What's going on?" Lash said from behind her, voice choked with sleep. She turned slowly feeling completely mortified to see him with the blanket wrapped loosely around his hips and half of his unruly hair standing straight up. She wanted to die at this very moment; she looked back at her friends to see Layla's face now silently surprised and Will's face flickering between rage and disgust. Curse Lash for being so insanely quiet when he walked. How had he even pulled the door open without her hearing it?  
"Anyway," Will chewed out gritting his teeth, "We'll see you guys in a few minutes." And he turned on his heel pulling Layla with him to stalk angrily down her front walk. That went very badly, Ell thought to herself feeling very wrung out.

"What is going on?" Lash repeated having the good sense to look guilty as he backed into the house. Ell slammed the door behind her and sagged against it, passing him the Polaroid. His eyebrows went up in astonishment, eyes moving calculatingly over the picture.

"If I go with you to Will's house is he going to punch me in the face?"

"I really don't know that he isn't going to punch _me_ in the face." Ell admitted. Will seemed to take Lash there as a personal insult to Warren's disappearance. They looked awkwardly at each other. Lash seemingly torn between wanting to comfort her and keeping his distance muttered something about trying to find his clothes and Elliana murmured something of an agreement and went upstairs to change. When she got upstairs to the sanctuary of her room she shut the door and put her face in her hands, sliding down to sit in a half huddled ball against the smooth wood. She was so stupid stupid stupid! How could she have let this happen? Had they even used a condom? She couldn't remember, nor could she remember what had possessed her to kiss him and keep kissing him just that it had felt so good. Ever since yesterday in the locker room Elliana had been actively denying her feelings for Lash, but they were there and now she couldn't pretend that she still hated him but she didn't know how to go forward from where they were now. He'd been to jail, he tried to destroy the school, he had wanted to be a villain his whole life and maybe Ell found all of those things just a little bit sexy and a little bit dangerous. But despite all of that there was a side to Lash that other people rarely see and she believed that there was good in him.

She slid across the floor to her dresser trying to find anything to throw on quickly and tried not to think about Warren. She didn't know if he and Mag were just missing or if they were dead, injured, being tortured; any number of unspeakable things could be happening to them and somehow Elliana felt she had betrayed them by sleeping with Lash. She started to cry again even though she knew it would help nothing and hugged her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. If they were dead… she didn't know what she would do with herself. She wasn't sure how long she sat there clutching herself, sobbing into her knees but eventually she subsided into tired hiccups and managed to dress herself and brush her teeth. Taking a deep breath she pulled her glove on and started to make her way down the stairs. On the bottom step waiting for her patiently, twirling her glasses between his fingers was Lash; dressed in his now very wrinkled clothes from yesterday he'd managed to flatten his hair and found mouthwash somewhere (her mom kept it stashed all over the house incase of emergency). The sight of him there looking about as hopeless as she felt pulled something in her heart. He made an apologetic face when he saw that she'd been crying again and pulled her towards him, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears.

"Thanks," she mumbled and took her glasses from him.

They didn't speak to each other on the short walk to Will's house, each lost in their own thoughts. Every time the backs of their hands bumped or their shoulders brushed they both jumped and scuttled away from each other until by the time they got to Will's front door they were standing about four feet apart. They didn't have to knock, Layla pulled the door open as soon as Ell raised her fist, face still looking tearstained and ushered them inside. The most horrible feeling in the world was walking into a room full of your friends and knowing they had just been talking about you. Zach, Ethan and Will looked up coldly as she and Lash entered the room trailed by Layla who also was trying hard to not look at them. Lash regarded them with his own icy glare but Ell felt like she was going to cry again. Her life was spinning out of control and she couldn't seem to reel it back into the realm of sanity. She sat in the chair next to Layla around the Stronghold's dinning room table; Lash chose to stand behind her with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Okay," Will started, "We all know why we're here. Two of our friends are now missing and we still have no clue what is going on," There was silence. Layla was twisting a Kleenex in her hands, Zach was looking at the table blankly, Ethan was biting his bottom lip and looking fearfully at Lash, Lash was scowling and not looking at any of them and Will was fixing Elliana with an accusatory stare. No one wanted to start; none of them even knew where to start, except Ell.

"After… After the Paper Lantern yesterday I went back to Madame Gisele's – about the tarot card." She heard Lash suck in a great hissing breath behind her but refused to turn around as she launched into everything Gisele had told her about Caitlyn and Lash. When she was done everyone looked horror struck and she could see the beginnings of pity. She dared sneak a look at Lash and saw that his jaw was clenched tight and he looked ready to explode.

"Royal Pain had a daughter…" Will just couldn't get over it. He looked like he wanted to say something comforting to Lash but in the end he just scooted the chair next to him out and motioned for the taller boy to take a seat. He did sit moodily between Ell and Will looking like he desperately wanted to hurt something.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. He shot her a venomous look that said 'do I look okay' but nodded and turned back to looking at nothing and brooding.

"Okay," Zach spoke up for the first time since Magenta was taken, "This might sound crazy but what if who we are seeing isn't Gwen but Caitlyn."

"Did you miss the part of the story where she was murdered?" Lash barked but Zach was not to be deterred.

'Yea yea, but what she was jumping forward through time right? What if we are seeing the past her when she went into the future?" That actually sort of made sense in a weird way that only Zach would have ever come up with but Lash was not satisfied. He was digging around in his wallet until he produced a very worn photo and tossed it across the table at Zach.

"That's a good theory but Caitlyn was blonde and at no time did she ever dye her hair… it was sort of her pride and joy." The photo was passed around and everyone marveled at her resemblance to Gwen – Zach even wanted to give Lash a high five for a few tense seconds – but Lash was right she had very distinct strawberry blonde hair.

"What was her power?" Layla asked.

"She was a Technopath," no one dared ask the question they all really wanted answered: how was she murdered? If they even started to broach that topic Lash might take someone's head off, so they moved on.

"How did you know Warren was missing?" Ell wondered.

"He called me from his cell phone really early this morning," Layla said, "He said he had figured out something that he had to tell us but then the line just went dead. I tried to call him back a bunch of times but I got no answer."

"Layla called me freaking out" Will continued, "and we went to Warrens place but when he didn't answer we got worried and I sort of broke down the door."

"There were Polaroids all over the place," Ell put the photo Will had left with her and they all studied it. Now that she looked again, Warren seemed more pensive than usual, almost as if he were worried or running from something.  
"Isn't that sign almost right outside your house Will?" Ethan asked peering out the big picture window. There was a black sign with green lettering on it just a little way up the block advertising a landscaping company. The colours matched the blurred sign in the picture.

"Will he was almost here!" Layla exclaimed tearing up again, "he was almost _here!_"

"Layla it'll be okay," but she was shaking her head and burying her nose in another Kleenex.

"Okay, lets assume that Warren got snatched the same way Magenta did," Lash cut in his voice cold and calculating, "That would mean whatever is after us probably led him to this great discovery, waited for him to call someone and then chased him down." His words made Ell shiver. Something was indeed after them and it was intelligent and cunning and very ruthless.

"What makes you think that?" Will asked.

"Because that's the way I would do it," Everyone stopped and looked at him. If you spent enough time with him you could almost forget that he was a villain once. You could almost forget that underneath a guise that looked normal was someone who had done horrible things. You could almost forget, but not quite. "That's how Villains work. Not only are they out for their own gain but they aim to inspire as much fear as possible while doing it. Why do you think they are always monolouging? Why do you think they have unnecessarily elaborate plans? Because it's all just a big game of cat and mouse to them. Villains get off on watching the Heroes run around like chickens with their heads cut off."

"Where are you getting this from, _How to be a Super Villain for Dummies_?" Zach asked horrified.

"No, it's just common sense. The Villain set this up to scare you guys. Why do you think Warren didn't figure out this clue before? Because it was all of a sudden magically all laid out before him this morning just so he would call Layla and we now all know that he's missing. It's just showing off now; taking out Warren because it can."

"That's sick…" Layla breathed. Lash shrugged and sat back in his seat.

"I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep…" Elliana muttered looking at the Polaroid. Everyone stopped and looked at her. "It's what's written at the bottom," She explained pointing and the words scrawled in red sharpie. At the bottom of Magenta's it had read 'one down…' but this sentence was so much more menacing and somehow oddly familiar.

"Robert Frost," She and Lash said at once looking at each other in surprise.

"How did you know that?" Lash asked her looking impressed.

"How did _you _know that?" Ethan exclaimed at him. Lash fixed him with a glare that made him melt.

"Just because I've been to jail doesn't mean I don't know how to read." He growled.

"It's from his poem _Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," _Elliana pressed on before they all started fighting. "I just don't know why it would be used to threaten us with; it's not a particularly dark poem. I could think of hundreds of others that would have gotten the point across better." Seeing their confusion Lash explained.

"The poet is basically trapped between two worlds: the real world of social demands which he has a responsibility to return to and the world the forest provides that is quiet and peaceful. He wants to belong in both but he can only pause in the forest for a few moments before returning to his errands in the city. Essentially a world of silence and peace is just an illusion. This line appears at the end when he is done admiring the woods and knows that he has to keep moving."

"It just sounds so cryptic," Layla said but Ell was only half listening to her. Illusions… The rippling mirror in the fortune house, Gwen disappearing into the puddle, the strange slinking shadow that took Magenta…

"Oh my god…." They all stopped and looked at her. "Illusion!" She exclaimed grinning at Lash, she was too excited to really explain coherently. She could tell by his expression that he was beginning to think along the same lines as her.

"Our Villain has power over illusion." He said, making sense of what she couldn't get out.

"That's how they are managing to appear as Gwen!" Layla realized.

"And moving through reflections!" Ethan caught on. Reflections… now there was something tugging at her memory. Something about mirrors… someone she knew and mirrors.

"Speed!" She exclaimed.

"Speed does not have power over Illusion," Lash said shaking his head.

"No, no, remember the day the bomb went off? When we were in the bathroom Speed was talking to someone remember? He was talking to someone _in the mirror!_"

"Why were you guys in the bathroom when the bomb went off?" Will asked confused, "We thought you were in the janitor's closet making…" he trailed off looking embarrassed. If Ell had time to be embarrassed she would be but right now they were actually on to something.

"It's a long story," Lash muttered.

"We have to find out who Speed was talking to," Layla said staying on track.

"Whoa, Speed isn't going to tell us anything." Zach pointed out.

"He doesn't have to," Ell was coming up with a plan, "Not if we can read his mind."


	12. Chapter 11

**Wow, do I owe everyone an apology or what? It's been... over three years, since I last updated this story and I disappeared without a trace. **

**I can only say that at the time I was dealing with some very severe issues in my life and had to move into the hospital for a time period of two years. I was not in the state of mind to even think about the internet let alone remember my responsibilities to those reading my story. To those of you who have been waiting anxiously for updates - I sincerely apologize. **

**It's been a bit over a year since I have been living in the real world again. I would have completely forgotten about this story entirely if I hadn't stumbled across this chapter while cleaning up some old files on my laptop. It is probably the shortest chapter I've written for the story and not very much happens, but I thought I would post it anyway. **

**I can't say for sure if I will continue this story or not, I've been away from it so long that I don't know if I could even continue to write the characters the same. After three years I have probably lost all of my original readers anyway, but I want to thank you if you are still out there for never giving up on me, and I am sorry again. So sorry.**

Eleven

The awkwardness hadn't lifted, even as Ell and Lash climbed their way over the chalky Caiolinite boulders. By the time the sullen fortress that was MSFSCI was in view they were both sweaty and bleeding from shallow scrapes on their palms and legs. Elliana had never approached the prison from this far away before, Will had flown them on to the island but that was as far as he dared to take them incase they were spotted. Lash had not spoken a word the whole time they'd hiked except to mutter curses under his breath as the landscape got increasingly more rocky, until they'd been forced to help each other over the boulders. The fallout of the powerful stone had just begun to kick in as Lash pulled her onto the final outcropping of boulders, now they had no powers to rely on and no terrain to veil them from the guards, just an empty plain to cross.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Lash muttered breathing hard from effort, doubling over to brace his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Elliana wiped at her forehead with her gloved hand, sweeping back her bangs which were plastered to her skin with sweat.

"Not at all, but I don't see you coming up with a better plan."

"You know this is illegal in all the worst ways," he replied looking at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"That's never stopped you before."

"Just checking," he snorted, straightening up. They were going to break Speed out of prison. The thought of it made her insides coil up, the thought of what she had to do to get him out, the people she might have to hurt. But this was bigger than them right now, they had to save Warren and Magenta, and stop whoever was behind this before more people got hurt, and she was willing to do anything to accomplish that. "Do you have the Rays?" Lash asked. They'd spent all last night with Ethan constructing Stun Rays, the only thing she could think of that could put the guards out temporarily without hurting them and wouldn't be affected by the Caiolinite radiation. Zach had been their unwitting test subject, as he'd been annoying Lash at the time and was blasted before anyone could lay a hand on the dark haired villain. Fortunately for Zach the Rays worked fine and he'd been out for exactly one hour, which was more than enough time for Elliana and Lash to get in and get out with Speed, as long as they weren't met with any complications. Ell rustled around in the backpack she was carrying and produced two identical sleek metal Rays, she hesitated before she handed one to Lash.

"How do I know that when I give you this, you wont just shoot me and disappear with Speed?" He looked at her darkly.

"After all this time you still don't trust me?"

"You and Speed were friends, how do I know that you won't turn on me." He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and kicked a rock violently.

"Are you kidding me right now?" he paced away a few steps and for a minute Ell thought he was going to stalk away and leave her there but then he whirled back and gripped her shoulders tightly, "How can you even say that to me after... after..." He couldn't continue, his dark eyes just poured into hers with an intensity that frightened her. His face was still painted black and blue and starting to yellow in some places and his cuts looked red and irritated around the edges, but the pain on his face had nothing to do with that.

"After what?" She asked, embarrassed of the way her voice shook.

"What do you think Ell?" He replied looking at the ground, "I don't just sleep with anyone you know." He said the last words almost shyly. He let go over her arms abruptly and walked ahead a few steps. "You can choose not to give me one," He tossed over his shoulder, "But you are going to have to start trusting me sometime." Elliana felt her face flush deep crimson, she'd been trying her best to suppress the memory of her and Lash together but at his words the feelings and images washed over her. The feeling of his lips and his hands and the surprising warmth of his skin and the silk of his hair through her fingers, and of course the other sensations; she was glad he had his back to her right now.

"Lash..." She started, but he cut her off.

"Are we going to do this or what?" She smirked and strode by him, shoving one of the Rays into his arms as she brushed past.

"Let's go then." He grinned tucking the weapon into the back of his pants and tugging his shirts down to cover it before following her. She didn't have to look back to see if he was following, the crunch of gravel assured her he was just a few steps behind her and that was all she needed to calm her nerves and stride as levelly as she could towards the towering metal cube, and their fate.

Elliana was sure the guards could smell her deceit rolling off of her in waves as she and Lash entered the first set of check points. She met the eyes of her partner in crime briefly and they were practically screaming at her to stay calm. Look normal, act normal, breathe evenly, smile; she read him loud and clear and smiled nervously at the sandy haired security guard patting her down. He was young, maybe Warren's age, with a wide honest smile, she sincerely hoped she didn't have to stun him. In fact if they had to stun anyone at this point the whole operation was going to be shot, they had to get much deeper inside the facility. Her main concern was Lash, for he did not have such a nice innocent looking Guard. He was a huge hulk of a man with a low furrowed brow and an unforgiving glare. He ordered Lash to spread his legs in a bark and began to roughly man handle him thoroughly with no signs of stopping anytime soon. She was worried he was going to submit him to a cavity search in a second. The problem being that not to long ago, Lash was a resident of the MSFSCI with a cell next to Speed and a matching jumpsuit.

"How's it going Lou?" Lash quipped with a winning smile as the big guy got closer and closer to where the Ray was concealed, "I see you still haven't lost your zest for frisking."

"Shut Up, Face the wall." Was the flat reply as Lou blessedly ghosted over the area and moved upwards to rough up Lash's torso and armpits.

'If you could state your purpose please Miss?" Sandy asked her with a slight drawl, he gave her a big grin and handed her a clip board. This was standard, she'd done this every month for a very long time, nothing was out of the ordinary... "It's unusual for you to visit your Dad twice in one month Miss," He remarked shyly, Ell froze in the middle of signing her name. Shit. Why hadn't she thought of that? She never went to visit her father more than once in a month, never. She'd never broken this pattern in her entire life. Against the wall Lash tensed up as the silence stretched out and Lou seemed to be determined to find anything Lash was concealing even if it was some hard candies and began patting his way back down. Slowly lowering the clip board she tried her best to conjure tears to her eyes as she looked earnestly at Sandy.

"I know," She gasped, "It's just that last time went so horribly, I barely even saw him 15 minutes before..." She trailed off with a sigh.

"Gee, I'm sorry Miss," He replied looking horrified with himself, "I didn't mean to upset you none," He snatched the clipboard back from her hastily, not looking her in the eye. "I'm awful sorry, I know what he gets like, Y'all can go right on through." Ell hated herself. Lou quirked his eyebrow at his colleague but released Lash from the wall, steering him by the scruff of his neck to stand next to Ell.

"Step through the metal detectors, slowly." He gruffed out. This was the real test. According to Ethan, the Ray's were made of an alloy that couldn't be detected, but there was always the horrible improbability that he was wrong. "You first." He gave Lash a sharp slap on the back that made him stumble forward a few steps, but her lanky companion hesitated as he was about to step through the grates. They exchanged a dark look as Lash tried to walk through the detectors as nonchalantly as possible. Ell held her breath, all of her senses straining against the sudden silence as Lash put one foot over the threshold, willing the machine with all of her nonexistent powers to stay silent. Mercifully, the silence remained, dragged out, maintained until Lash was safely through the other side, smug grin back on his lips as he tossed the burly guard a wink.

"Nothing to it Sweet Lou," He said in possibly the most condescending tone he could muster and the older guard clenched his jaw so tightly in rage that Ell could see a vein jut out and start to throb in his forehead.

"You too Miss," The sandy haired guard said hastily, ushering Elliana through the detector before Big Lou snapped an had a rage blackout. The second she was between the two jutting metal bars the detector chirped to life, warbling out a series of high pitched beeps in quick succession. Elliana felt her stomach drop out. She stepped back reluctantly, afraid to look at Lash, her tension tangible now as she tried to look innocent and apologetic under Sandy's now intent and sharp focus.


End file.
